How to Get Airport NOC Clearance in India: AAI Height Restrictions Explained

If you're planning to construct a building, install a telecom tower, or erect any tall structure in India, there's a regulatory step that's often overlooked until it causes major project delays — Airport NOC clearance.

Under the Government of India's Gazette Notification GSR 751(E), any structure located within 20 km of a VFR (Visual Flight Rules) airport or 56 km of an IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) airport must obtain a No Objection Certificate from the Airports Authority of India before construction starts. Skipping this step isn't just a paperwork issue — it can result in stop-work orders or even demolition of completed structures.



What the NOC application actually requires

At its core, an Airport NOC application is a technical submission. AAI needs to know exactly where your structure sits (in WGS-84 coordinates), how high the ground is at that point relative to mean sea level (AMSL), and what the final height of your structure will be. This data is checked against the Obstacle Limitation Surfaces defined under ICAO Annex 14 — essentially an invisible "no-go" zone map around every runway — and against the airport's published Colour Coded Zoning Map.

Get any of these numbers wrong, even by a small margin, and the application can be rejected or sent back for resurvey, adding weeks to your timeline.

The typical workflow

  1. Check your site's distance from the Aerodrome Reference Point and confirm whether the airport is VFR or IFR type
  2. Conduct an RTK-GNSS survey to capture precise coordinates and AMSL elevation
  3. Run an OLS compliance check against your proposed height
  4. Prepare documentation in the format NOCAS (the AAI's online filing system at nocas.aai.aero) requires
  5. Submit and track the application through AAI's regional NOC cell

Civil vs. Defence airports

Worth noting — if your site falls near a defence aerodrome, that's a separate application altogether, filed with the Ministry of Defence's aerodrome operator rather than through NOCAS. Some locations fall under both civil and defence influence zones, meaning two separate NOCs are needed.

How long is an NOC valid?

Once granted, an Airport NOC is valid for up to 8 years for buildings and 12 years for masts, chimneys, and similar structures — after which a revalidation application is needed if the project is still incomplete.

For developers and project teams, the practical takeaway is this: get the survey data right the first time. A professional RTK-GNSS survey conducted by someone familiar with NOCAS documentation standards is far cheaper than the cost of project delays from a rejected application.

More details on the end-to-end process: Airport NOC Survey Services in India

If your project also requires boundary verification before construction, a Land Boundary Survey is typically the first step. For sites with complex terrain, a Topographic Survey helps establish accurate ground-level data alongside the AMSL elevation needed for NOC filing. Large or hard-to-access sites can also benefit from Drone Survey & Mapping for faster data collection.

To learn more about the team behind these services, visit About SurveyingIndia, or explore the full range of survey services offered pan-India.

Location: India

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