Bhubaneswar, April 4: The long-awaited dream of an international airport in Puri has taken a major step forward, with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change granting in-principle (Stage-1) forest clearance for the proposed Shree Jagannath International Airport.

The approval was granted after detailed examination of the proposal submitted by the Odisha government. The Advisory Committee under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980 reviewed the project on February 27, 2026, and recommended it for clearance. Based on this and subsequent approval by the competent authority, the Centre accorded Stage-1 approval for diversion of 27.887 hectares of forest land under the Puri Forest Division.

Officials said the clearance marks a crucial milestone in the development of the greenfield airport project. Once completed, the airport is expected to significantly boost connectivity, enabling pilgrims and tourists to travel directly to Puri instead of relying on Bhubaneswar.

The project had earlier received in-principle approval from the Ministry of Civil Aviation. With environmental clearance now in place, the state government is expected to expedite the next phases of development, bringing the ambitious project closer to execution.

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