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Land Near Airports: AAI Height and Funnel Rules (2026)
Height limits, the approach funnel and the NOC process that apply to land close to an airport, and what a buyer should ask before paying.
Land near an airport carries aviation safety limits that never appear in a jamabandi. A central notification under the Aircraft Act, 1934 restricts building and tree heights within 20 km of an aerodrome, and AAI issues the height NOC. This guide explains how the rules work and what to check before you buy.
Why land near an airport has extra rules
Land near an airport can look like a bargain on paper: the roads are good, circle rates are rising and agents talk about an "airport boom". What many buyers are never told is that aviation safety law sits on top of ordinary land law. A plot can be perfectly clean in the jamabandi and still be legally limited in how high you may build, whether you may plant tall trees, or whether you may build at all.
The rules exist to keep the airspace around a runway free of obstructions. They apply to the land itself, not to the buyer, so they pass to you with the plot. A farmhouse, a cold store, a solar mast or a telecom tower on that land all have to fit inside them.
This guide explains, in plain language, the two layers a buyer meets: the height restriction around an aerodrome and the zone directly under the runway approach, often called the funnel. It also explains how the No Objection Certificate (NOC) for height clearance works, and what you should ask a seller to show. For wider context on how infrastructure affects land value, see our Jewar airport land guide and what drives agricultural land prices.
The legal basis: Aircraft Act and the Demolition Rules
The central notification we opened on the AAI NOCAS site is issued under Section 9-A of the Aircraft Act, 1934. It restricts buildings, structures and trees around listed aerodromes. The NOCAS public information page also lists the Aircraft (Demolition of Obstructions caused by Buildings and Trees etc.) Rules, 1994, an Amendment Rules of 2023, and the notification GSR 610(E) dated 14.06.2016. We read the titles of these on the portal but did not open each full text, so we do not quote section numbers from them here.
The notification we did read in full (S.O. 1589(E), archived on NOCAS) says, in summary:
- No building, structure or tree may stand in the runway and approach land listed in its Annexure I. Existing obstructions were to be removed within one month of publication.
- Within 20 km of an aerodrome reference point (ARP), nothing may exceed the heights worked out under its Annexure II. Existing excess heights were to be reduced within one month.
- Structures built in the restricted surfaces after that one-month period are to be treated as illegal, and district administrations handle removal or height reduction.
- The Central Government, after an aeronautical study, can permit an object that would otherwise be restricted if it does not adversely affect safety or significantly affect operations.
- AAI issues the height NOC for civil aerodromes on behalf of the Central Government. For military aerodromes the defence authorities issue it and may add their own restrictions.
That notification replaced an earlier 1988 notification. Because aviation notifications are updated, treat the figures as a map of how the system works and ask AAI or the airport operator for the current text applying to your plot.
How the height limit works
The permissible height at a given plot is not one fixed number for a whole city. The notification says it is calculated from internationally used obstacle limitation surfaces: take-off climb, approach, transitional, inner horizontal, outer horizontal and conical surfaces. It adds the protection areas around navigational aids and procedure-based minimum altitudes. Where several limits apply, the lowest governs.
In practice this means two plots 500 metres apart can have very different limits. A plot in line with the runway has a tight limit that rises with distance. A plot to the side may have a more generous one. Natural terrain or existing structures can in some areas "shield" a site, but the notification places restrictions on that benefit.
| Term | What it means for a buyer |
|---|---|
| ARP (aerodrome reference point) | The central point from which the 20 km height-restriction radius is measured |
| Runway strip and approach | Land in line with the runway where building and tree planting are barred (Annexure I of the notification) |
| Funnel zone | Common name for the approach surface that widens outward from the runway end; the notification gives 15,000 m for the approach surface of Code 3 and 4 runways |
| Outer horizontal surface | Extends up to 15,000 m from the ARP for Code 3 and 4 aerodromes |
| Annexure II height | The maximum height for any structure or tree at that location; the lowest applicable limit governs |
The distances above are the examples the notification itself gives. Which code and which surfaces apply to a given airport, and whether the notification has since been amended, we could not confirm for each airport.
The AAI height-clearance NOC and the NOCAS portal
AAI runs an online portal, NOCAS, for height-clearance NOC applications. The help page we opened describes only registration: a new user registers, an activation link is sent to the email address (which becomes the user ID), and after login the applicant uses the Apply NOC link on the dashboard. The page says a photo ID such as a Voter ID, Aadhaar, PAN or Passport can be uploaded.
The NOCAS public information page lists a document on the time line for issue of NOC, contact details of NOC offices, and a route for offline appeals. We could not confirm the fee, the timeline, the validity period or the appeal route from these pages, because the guideline PDF could not be opened by our tools. Do not rely on a figure from an agent or a blog. Ask AAI.
The notification also says a certified copy of the completed construction must be deposited with AAI and the state government, and the state government must ensure the cleared heights are followed. So an NOC is not the last step; the finished building has to match it.
Ask for the NOC and match it to your khasra
If a seller says a plot has an airport NOC, ask for the letter itself, check the applicant name, the coordinates or khasra it covers, and the maximum height it allows. An NOC given to a neighbouring owner or a developer's earlier project does not clear your plot.
The funnel zone and what to expect on the ground
The approach land directly in line with the runway is the most restricted. The notification bars buildings, structures and trees there. For a buyer of farmland, this matters less for crops, which are low, and more for farmhouses, poultry sheds, water towers, boundary trees and orchard species that grow tall. Check the mature height of what you plan to plant.
Also check whether the land is acquired or notified for airport use. If part of a khasra falls inside a proposed airport boundary, the issue becomes acquisition, not height. See how to check government acquisition notices and land acquisition compensation.
Buyers near new airports should be careful with claims that a plot is "inside the airport influence zone" or "approved for airport-linked development". We could not confirm any single official definition of those phrases. Ask for the notification number and the map it relies on.
Buyer checklist before paying
- Identify the nearest civil, private and military aerodrome and estimate the distance from the plot. Use the 20 km radius in the notification as your first screen.
- Ask the seller whether any NOC has been issued for the land, and obtain a copy.
- Ask AAI (through NOCAS or its listed NOC offices) what height the site allows and whether a map for the aerodrome is available. We could not confirm that a colour-coded zoning map is published for every airport.
- Check the master plan and zoning for the area. See land use zones explained and how to read a master plan.
- Check the land record and title as usual: how to verify land title.
- Add a clause in the sale paper that the seller has disclosed all height, zoning and acquisition limits known to him.
- If you plan a farmhouse, compare with farmhouse rules in India and farmhouse construction norms.
Our broader checks are in the land due diligence checklist. Airport rules are one more line on that list, not a replacement for it.
Red flags specific to airport-belt land
- A broker says no height limit applies because the airport is far away. Distance is measured from the ARP and runway, not from the terminal or the nearest town.
- A brochure promises high-rise or commercial use on land that is recorded as agricultural. Use change is a separate approval. See change of land use in India.
- Prices that jump only because of a news report of a new airport. Check circle rate versus market rate and ask for registered sale deeds nearby.
- A seller who cannot show the khasra to map match for land said to be near the boundary.
- Structures already on the land built after the notification date, which may be treated as illegal under the rules we read.
If you already own land in such a belt and received a notice, take legal advice quickly. We could not confirm the appeal forum and time limit from the pages we opened.
What we could not confirm
- The NOC fee, timeline and validity period.
- The appeal authority and time limit.
- Whether each airport has a published zoning map and where to download it.
- The current amended text of the 1994 Demolition Rules and the 2023 amendment.
- Heights for any specific plot. Only AAI or the airport operator can give these.
This page is information, not legal or aviation advice.
