Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Airstrip

{{short description|Airstrip in Meerut, India}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2018}}

{{Use Indian English|date=August 2018}}

{{Infobox airport

| name = Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Airstrip

| nativename-a =

| pushpin_map = India Uttar Pradesh#India

| image =

| image-width =

| caption =

| IATA =

| ICAO = VI2B

| type = Public

| owner = Airports Authority of India{{cite web|title=MoU Signed for Development of Airports in UP |url=http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=104187 |publisher=Press Information Bureau|date= 24 February 2014 |access-date=28 February 2014}}

| operator =

| city-served = Meerut

| location = Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India

| elevation-f = 732

| elevation-m = 223

| coordinates = {{coord|28|54|18|N|077|40|37|E|region:IN-UP|display=inline,title}}

| website =

| metric-elev =

| metric-rwy =

| r1-number = 11/29

| r1-length-f = 5124

| r1-length-m = 1562

| r1-surface = Asphalt

| stat-year =

| stat1-header =

| stat1-data =

| stat2-header =

| stat2-data =

}}

Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Airstrip is an airstrip-aerodrome, situated at Partapur, 9 km south of Village Gagol of Meerut, in Uttar Pradesh, India. The airstrip, spread across 47 acres, has only non scheduled chartered flights.{{cite web|url=http://www.financialexpress.com/news/meerut-airport-to-be-upgraded-to-intl-levels/529118/1|title=Meerut airport to be upgraded to int'l levels|publisher=Financial Express |date=15 October 2009 |access-date=8 March 2020}} The government of Uttar Pradesh signed a MoU with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in February 2014 for the development of the airport. It is named after B. R. Ambedkar.

The AAI had initially proposed the development of the airport to provide better air connectivity in the western parts of the state, which had already been assessed for upgrading to cater to scheduled operations. AAI presented a master plan to the state government in April 2012 seeking the transfer of the airstrip and additional land free of cost and free from all encumbrances. The then Union civil aviation minister Ajit Singh had urged the state government in November 2012 to hand over the airstrip and an additional 427 acres to AAI for development.{{cite news|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/ajit-singh-seeks-meerut-airport-for-aai-112111603017_1.html|title=Ajit Singh seeks eerut Airport for AAI|newspaper=Business Standard|date= 15 October 2009|last1=Rawat|first1=Virendra Singh |access-date=8 March 2020}} The Uttar Pradesh cabinet approved to hand over the airstrip AAI in September 2013.{{cite web|url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/shelved-by-maya-akhilesh-nod-to-develop-meerut-airstrip-as-airport/1164357/|title=Shelved by Maya, Akhilesh nod to develop Meerut airstrip as airport|newspaper=The Indian Express|date=4 September 2013| access-date=28 February 2014}}

The state had earlier planned to build a new airport of international standard on same location. The state government had issued a notice for appointing a consultant to prepare a comprehensive feasibility project report, a bid document and the concession agreement for the proposed airport. The project would be implemented through public-private partnership on a design, build, finance, operate and transfer basis.

The state government decided to have an international airport at Meerut based on a study conducted on the area's traffic density. Following this, the Ministry of Civil Aviation gave its in-principle approval. The need for a second airport on the fringes of the national capital region has been a long-standing demand of the Uttar Pradesh government, especially in view of the burgeoning air traffic at Delhi airport. The proposed airport will not only cater to the industrial towns of western Uttar Pradesh but would relieve neighbouring Uttarakhand.