GIS for airport modernisation in India is the use of geographic information system (GIS) technology across the full lifecycle of aviation infrastructure, from evaluating candidate airstrip sites and conducting terrain surveys to managing airfield assets, enforcing airspace safety surfaces, and running terminal operations at scale. As India executes the most ambitious expansion of its aviation network in history, GIS is the spatial intelligence layer that connects site feasibility, construction progress, regulatory compliance, and day-to-day airport operations into a single, location-aware system.
India’s Aviation Boom and the Push for Regional Skies
India is one of the world’s fastest-growing domestic aviation markets, yet air connectivity has historically been concentrated in a small number of metro airports. Hundreds of towns with functional airstrips remained unconnected, their infrastructure dormant and their communities cut off from the economic and social benefits of affordable air travel.
The original UDAN Scheme was launched in October 2016 with the objective of making air travel affordable and strengthening connectivity to Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. Over nine years of implementation, 663 routes have been operationalised across 95 airports, heliports, and water aerodromes as of February 28, 2026, with more than 3.41 lakh flights operated, carrying 162.47 lakh passengers.
The next phase is larger by an order of magnitude. The Union Cabinet approved the Modified UDAN scheme for a period of 10 years from FY 2026-27 to FY 2035-36 with a total outlay of ₹28,840 crore. Under the Modified UDAN Scheme, it is proposed to develop 100 airports from existing unserved airstrips with a total outlay of ₹12,159 crore over the next eight years. To address connectivity challenges in hilly, remote, island, and aspirational regions, the scheme proposes developing 200 modern helipads at ₹15 crore each, focused on priority and aspirational districts.
Turning that ambition into operational aviation infrastructure, across geologically complex terrain in the Northeast, J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Lakshadweep, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, demands spatial intelligence at every stage. That is where GIS enters.
What Is GIS for Airport Modernisation?
GIS for airport modernisation is the application of geographic information system technology to plan, build, operate, and maintain aviation infrastructure with spatial precision. It integrates terrain data, satellite imagery, BIM models, drone surveys, IoT sensor feeds, and regulatory surfaces like Obstacle Limitation Surfaces (OLS) into a single, location-aware platform.
At the planning stage, GIS determines whether a site is suitable for development. During construction, it tracks progress and verifies as-built conditions against approved designs. In operations, it manages airfield assets, monitors runway condition, enforces airspace restrictions, and supports intelligent terminal management. Every stage works from the same authoritative spatial foundation.
The UDAN Story : So Far From RCS 1.0 to Modified UDAN
The initial phases of UDAN highlighted both the opportunities and challenges of the scheme. Many of the targeted airstrips were dormant, their physical condition unmapped, their surrounding terrain unsurveyed, and their land boundaries unclear. State governments needed tools to assess site viability quickly, validate existing infrastructure conditions, and plan the upgrades necessary to meet DGCA and BCAS regulatory standards.
The Modified UDAN scheme aims to enhance air links to underserved areas, supporting affordable travel and boosting economic growth in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, and includes procuring indigenous aircraft under the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision. Two HAL Dhruv helicopters for Pawan Hans and two HAL Dornier aircraft for Alliance Air are being procured specifically for operations in difficult terrain where standard commercial fleets face limitations.
Scaling this ambition across 100 airstrip upgrades and 200 new helipads, many in terrain where ground access is difficult and satellite and drone surveys are the only practical way to assess site conditions, makes GIS a prerequisite rather than a supporting tool.
How GIS Supports the Airport Lifecycle
Here is how GIS adds value at each stage of airport development and operations:
Site selection and feasibility
ArcGIS Pro enables multi-criteria spatial analysis that layers terrain elevation, slope gradients, flood zone extents, forest and wildlife clearances, existing road access, population catchment, and land ownership records into a single suitability model. Planners can evaluate dozens of candidate airstrip locations simultaneously, scoring each against regulatory and operational parameters before any ground survey is commissioned.
Terrain survey and 3D base layer
For remote sites in the Northeast, J&K, and hilly states, ground surveys are slow, expensive, and sometimes inaccessible. Site Scan for ArcGIS manages drone survey missions, generating high-resolution orthomosaics and point clouds from UAV photogrammetry. ArcGIS Reality processes LiDAR and drone data into georeferenced 3D terrain models that form the authoritative spatial base for every design and planning decision that follows, with centimeter-level accuracy across the site footprint and its approach corridors.
BIM-GIS integration for terminal and airside design
ArcGIS GeoBIM links civil engineering BIM models directly to the GIS environment, so design teams can verify that proposed runway orientations, terminal footprints, and taxiway layouts are correctly placed in real-world spatial context. Conflicts with surrounding land use, utility corridors, and approach surface constraints are identified before construction begins.
Obstacle Limitation Surface management
DGCA regulations require airports to maintain clear OLS zones around all runways. ArcGIS Pro models these 3D regulatory surfaces and flags any structures, trees, or terrain features that breach them, enabling AAI and airport operators to monitor height restriction compliance continuously, not just at initial certification.
Real-time operations monitoring
ArcGis Velocity ingests live IoT feeds from airfield sensors, perimeter security systems, and ground movement equipment. Alerts for wildlife incursions, Foreign Object Debris (FOD) detections, and pavement anomalies surface on operational dashboards as conditions develop, giving airport safety teams real-time, spatially indexed situational awareness across the entire airside.
Where GIS Adds Value Across UDAN Workflows
The Airports Authority of India has already demonstrated what GIS can deliver at the institutional level. AAI’s NOCAS, the No Objection Certificate Application System, is built on Esri technology and achieves a highly substantial reduction in complete NOC application processing time from an earlier period of a month or two, with higher accuracy and minimal human intervention. NOCAS carries out automated calculations for the Permissible Top Elevation based on AGA, CNS, and PANS-OPS criteria using the site coordinates provided by the applicant, and AAI users can analyse proposed sites with respect to airports and various OLS protection surfaces using GIS tools available in NOCAS.
For Modified UDAN’s 100-airport upgrade programme, GIS workflows address the specific challenges of converting dormant airstrips into operational airports:
- Encroachment detection: Satellite imagery comparison through ArcGIS Pro identifies new encroachments on airstrip land since the last survey, providing the spatial evidence base for land clearance actions before construction mobilises
- Approach and departure path analysis: Terrain models built through Site Scan for ArcGIS and ArcGIS Reality map the approach corridors for each candidate runway orientation, identifying obstruction risks from ridgelines, powerlines, and structures that determine operational viability for the proposed aircraft type
- Helipad siting in aspirational districts: For the 200 helipads targeting hilly and island districts, ArcGIS Pro suitability analysis screens candidate locations against slope stability, proximity to medical facilities, and accessibility by road, accelerating site selection across geographically complex terrain where ground reconnaissance alone is prohibitively slow
- PM Gati Shakti integration: Positioning each new UDAN airport and helipad on the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan’s GIS layer connects air connectivity planning directly with road access, rail corridors, last-mile logistics, and economic zone development, enabling truly coordinated multimodal infrastructure investment rather than siloed aviation planning
Beyond UDAN : GIS for Greenfield, Brownfield, and Metro Airport Modernisation
India’s 21 approved greenfield airports, of which 12 have been operationalised, each required spatial site feasibility analysis, environmental clearance mapping, and land acquisition tracking that GIS supports end to end. Pakyong Airport in Sikkim, India’s first greenfield airport in the Northeast, exemplifies the terrain complexity involved: steep Himalayan slopes, seismic sensitivity, limited approach clearances, and extreme weather patterns all shape the engineering solution. Only spatially indexed terrain analysis can balance these constraints against regulatory requirements and operational demands simultaneously.
ArcGIS Urban supports the land use planning dimension of airport development, modelling how a new airport changes development patterns in its surrounding area and enabling state governments to plan compatible industrial zones, logistics parks, and surface access infrastructure in coordination with the aviation facility.
For brownfield upgrades at Tier-1 and Tier-2 airports, terminal redevelopment presents a distinct GIS use case. ArcGIS Indoors creates a georeferenced indoor model of the terminal building, enabling passenger flow analysis, retail and F&B space optimisation, emergency evacuation planning, fire safety zone management, and indoor wayfinding for travelers. As metro airports expand their terminals under Vision 2040 and as Tier-2 brownfield upgrades create new passenger-facing infrastructure, the airport-as-a-twin approach extends GIS value from the airside runway all the way to the departure gate.
Benefits for AAI, State Governments, and Airport Operators
For AAI
A spatially consistent asset register across all managed airports, with OLS compliance, airfield infrastructure mapping, and NOCAS NOC processing automated on a single Esri-based platform. Real-time airside monitoring through ArcGIS Velocity reduces response times for safety incidents and operational anomalies.
For state governments
GIS-powered site suitability analysis for UDAN airstrip upgrades and helipad siting accelerates the pre-feasibility stage, reduces the cost of candidate site assessments across multiple locations, and produces the spatial evidence base required for MoCA proposal submissions under the Greenfield Airport Policy.
For airport operators
Drone survey workflows through Site Scan for ArcGIS and ArcGIS Reality keep the as-built spatial record current as construction progresses and as infrastructure ages. Predictive maintenance for runway pavements, taxiway lighting, and terminal systems is grounded in spatially indexed condition data rather than fixed calendar schedules.
For the UDAN ecosystem as a whole
A GIS layer connecting UDAN airports, helipads, and water aerodromes to road networks, railway stations, and logistics infrastructure on the PM Gati Shakti platform creates the spatial foundation for truly integrated regional connectivity planning across India.
Explore how Esri India supports Aviation and Airport management with GIS-powered solutions.
Challenges and the Road Ahead
Legacy airstrip data gaps
Many of the 100 airstrips targeted under Modified UDAN lack current spatial records. Drone surveys through Site Scan for ArcGIS to establish accurate as-existing conditions are a prerequisite for reliable upgrade planning at each site.
Interagency data coordination
Airport development involves MoCA, AAI, DGCA, BCAS, the Ministry of Defence for airspace deconfliction, and state revenue departments for land records. Bringing these data streams onto a shared GIS platform requires both technical integration and sustained institutional cooperation across agencies that do not traditionally work from common spatial data.
Connectivity at remote survey locations
Drone operations and real-time GIS data sync require connectivity infrastructure that is often absent at remote airstrip sites. Offline-capable workflows in Site Scan for ArcGIS and ArcGIS Field Maps address this constraint, enabling survey data capture and sync when connectivity is restored.
Capacity within state aviation departments
Most state civil aviation departments lack in-house GIS expertise. Building spatial analysis capacity alongside UDAN programme execution is essential for states to realise the planning efficiency gains that GIS enables. The technology exists; the institutional capability to use it at full potential is the investment that determines outcomes.
India’s aviation ambition under Modified UDAN, the National Infrastructure Pipeline, and Viksit Bharat 2047 is real, significant, and spatially complex. One hundred airports, two hundred helipads, a dozen greenfield developments, and continuous modernisation at metro terminals cannot be managed with spreadsheets and paper surveys. GIS is the platform that makes this scale of aviation infrastructure expansion executable, monitorable, and operationally sustainable across the decade ahead.
FAQs
1.What is the UDAN scheme in India?
UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) is India’s Regional Connectivity Scheme launched in 2016 to make air travel affordable through Viability Gap Funding on unserved routes. The Modified UDAN approved in March 2026 extends the scheme for ten years with a ₹28,840 crore outlay covering 100 new airports and 200 helipads.
2.How does GIS support airport modernisation in India?
GIS supports airport modernisation from site suitability analysis and OLS modelling to drone-based 3D surveys with Site Scan for ArcGIS. AAI’s NOCAS system, built on Esri’s ArcGIS platform, has reduced height clearance NOC processing from over a month to near-automated turnaround.
3.Which Indian airports are being modernised under UDAN?
By February 2026, 95 airports, heliports, and water aerodromes were connected across 663 routes under UDAN. Modified UDAN adds 100 airports and 200 helipads, focusing on Northeast India, J&K, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand where terrain makes conventional development impractical.
4.How is GIS used in greenfield airport planning?
GIS screens candidate sites against terrain slope, flood risk, forest buffers, and land ownership in a single spatial model. Site Scan for ArcGIS and ArcGIS GeoBIM then link drone surveys and BIM designs to real-world spatial context, preventing costly corrections before construction begins.
5.What role does GIS play in airport operations and maintenance?
GIS connects airfield assets to a spatially indexed maintenance system, with ArcGIS Velocity flagging safety anomalies by precise location in real time. ArcGIS Indoors extends this into terminal buildings for passenger flow, fire safety mapping, and emergency evacuation routing.
