airport city

Vietnam: Gia Binh Airport land clearance, construction and airport city plans

Rose Bridger Vietnam , , , , , , , , , , ,

Land clearance for and construction of Gia Binh Airport, accelerated for APEC 2027, is displacing thousands of households. Delays in providing replacement housing or compensation have caused difficulties for many of the residents forced to leave their homes. An airport city development surrounding the new airport, the ‘southern Duong River urban area’, is planned.

Gia Binh International Airport 2030 masterplan
Gia Bình International Airport 2030 masterplan graphic

Land clearance and construction of Gia Binh AIrport, about 40 kilometres east of Hanoi in a rural area of Vietnam’s Bac Ninh province, are underway. A mega-airport is planned with four runways arranged in two pairs, handling 30 million passengers and 1.6 million tonnes of cargo per year by 2030 increasing to 50 million passengers per year and 2.5 million tonnes of cargo by 2050. The total investment is estimated at VND196,378 trillion (USD7.5 billion). A vast swath of productive farmland is being sacrificed for the new airport. Land allocated for the Gia Binh Airport site, in the communes of Gia Ginh, Luong Tai, Nhan Thang and Lam Thao, encompasses about 1,184.78 hectares of agricultural land, including about 920 hectares of rice fields yielding two crops per year. The site also comprises 415 hectares of non-agricultural land, 159.4 hectares of residential land and 124.8 hectares of land utilised for defence and security purposes. Preparation of the airport project site has triggered one of the largest land clearances in Vietnam’s recent history, affecting approximately 7,100 households and individuals and 118 organisations; about 5,800 households and individuals are being relocated. By 25th December 2025 almost 600 hectares of land had been cleared and land registration for 6,309 households within the project area was complete. The Bac Ninh province had advanced over VND2,700 billion (USD102.5 million) to pay compensation to about 5,000 households. Plans for a second phase of compensation were progressing with a further VND1,102 billion (USD41.8 million) in payments for approximately 360 hectares of agricultural land. An inventory of religious structures and tombs had identified 17,800 graves within the project area to be relocated, but the process was complexified by the many unique buildings including churches, temples and communal houses with a higher value than the price framework and therefore requiring specific estimates.

Acceleration for APEC 2027

As well as a major passenger and cargo hub Gia Binh Airport is being built as strategic infrastructure to host major diplomatic events, beginning with the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) 2027 Leaders’ Week gathering of high level officials, to be hosted by Vietnam and scheduled for November 2027. Construction of key components of Gia Binh Airport has been accelerated for APEC 2027, even though the primary event venues are on Phu Quoc island, 15 kilometres off the coast of Cambodia in the Gulf of Thailand. On 7th March 2026, nearing the end of his term, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited the Gia Binh Airport project and directed stakeholders to develop the site as an “airport economic ecosystem”. He stated that the airport will be a dual-use (civilian and military) facility, stressing the importance of completion in time for APEC 2027 Leaders’ Week, and was briefed on the progress of construction of the VIP terminal. By 19th March pile driving and removal of topsoil for the VIP area was complete and foundation works were underway. Authorities had handed over 1,259.45 hectares, 66.82% of the 1,883.93 hectare required land area, and relocation of 4,761 graves was expedited. But land clearance of about 1,260 households, scheduled to be complete by 30th April, was highlighted as the ‘most significant bottleneck’ impeding the expedited construction programme.

Land clearance for a road network

Development of road networks serving the airport, involving land clearance for wide corridors to accommodate multiple lanes, has been accelerated for APEC 2027. The total investment for a 41.3 kilometre road connecting Gia Binh Airport with Hanoi, linking directly with several major arterial roads, including intercity expressways, is estimated at VND83 trillion (USD3.165 billion). People in the Thuan Thanh, Tram Lo, Tri Qua and Mao Dien wards are being resettled to make way for the Gia Binh Airport – Hanoi road and a resettlement site is being urgently constructed in Lam Thao commune southwest of the airport site. By 24th July 2026 304 out of 412 hectares of land in Bac Ninh had been cleared for the 10-lane, 120 metres wide road which is expected to open in October 2026, in time to serve APEC 2027. Rapid advancement of the Bac Ninh segments of the Ring Road No. 4 project linking Hanoi with satellite urban centres and northern industrial zones, was reported in My 2026. Clearance of agricultural and residential land within the 90-metre corridor for one component of Ring Road No. 4 was complete along with most of the infrastructure for nine resettlement areas, with excavation and embankment filling works for another component ongoing. Clearance of over 82 hectares for the direct access road was complete and resettlement schemes had been expedited.

Villages and residential areas impacted by land clearance for Gia Binh Airport
Some of the villages and residential areas impacted by land clearance for Gia Binh Airport, the area where site clearance for airport construction is visible is highlighted. Satellite imagery 17/07/2025 / 02/07/2023

Displacement difficulties

In early June Bac Ninh Catholic communities voiced concerns over displacement for Gia Binh Airport. Bishop Joseph Đỗ Quang Khang said he had seen “many families forced to live in temporary housing, facing compounded difficulties over shelter, work, schooling, faith life, and daily activities”. One affected resident wrote on the Diocese’s website “The image of excavators tearing down homes within the planning area of a major national project is striking. Walls collapse. Tiled roofs are stripped away. Belongings are loaded onto trucks. Trucks operate nonstop”. Another resident commented on the previous view of graves and crosses around the parish church abruptly replaced by ‘deep trenches gouged into the earth, overturned patches of land, and fresh marks left by excavators and bulldozers’. A woman representing the Sisters of Our Lady of Unity said their charity home was affected by low valuation of agricultural land and was uncertain where the sisters and 40 disabled children could relocate to. During land clearing operations on 13th June 2026 17 graves in Ngọc Xuyên village were illegally levelled and affected families were pressured to accept the compensation offer and sign a pledge not to file complaints.

Residents forced to dismantle homes

A 24th June 2026 communication from the Bac Ninh province required residents to dismantle their homes and relocate with just a few hours notice, by 4pm that same day. The notice stated that land in four villages – Ngô Thôn, Mỹ Thôn, Lương Pháp, and Thủ Pháp – had been officially handed over to the investor on 20th June but some residents were still dismantling their homes. The following day a preliminary review on land clearance for the airport reported that 1,400 households in the four villages had been relocated in just 38 days. Since late May hundreds of households had been forced to dismantle their homes and move into temporary housing but authorities had not yet constructed resettlement areas nor provided reasonable compensation for affected people. A Bac Ninh province announcement on Facebook met with more than 2,000 reactions, about half of which were ‘haha’ and ‘angry’, and over 600 comments expressing frustration. Residents also posted critical comments in response to Bac Ninh news outlet videos praising the relocation process and claiming it was a ‘high consensus’ exercise. Several residents expressed their difficulties related to the airport at a dialogue meeting held on 3rd July. Their families had received eviction notices instructing them to relocate before 30th August but temporary housing had not yet been organised for them.

Relocation and resettlement delays

One resident spoke of her loss of trust as she had been assured she would not be forced to move again before the resettlement area with permanent replacement housing was ready. Acting on this information she had not rented a house and the only places still available were very small and expensive. She was worried that being forced to vacate by 30th August would push her out onto the street. Another resident with three children had found temporary relocation “extremely difficult and exhausting” and said it would be impossible for more than 500 households in Tử Nê and nearby villages to relocate under the current process. A Phú Dưới village resident said there was not yet official notice of the date by which their family would be required to leave. The Gia Bình Commune Party Committee issued a document stating that relocation of assets must be completed by 20th July in the Đồng Lâm and Quỳnh Bội residential areas and by 20th August in the Đỗ Xá residential area.

‘High consensus’ claims

Interviews conducted by Luật Khoa Magazine contradicted government claims of ‘high consensus’ with the relocation process. A man from Quỳnh Bội village said, “People now have no voice. We have to follow along. How can we resist? If anyone refuses to move, they just impose it.” In the villages of Tử Nê, Bái Giang, and Hương La the relocation deadline was fast approaching but residents reported a lack of preparation. A woman from Tử Nê village said, “Officials say we have to move by Aug. 30, but there is no resettlement yet. We have not received anything.” On 3rd August 2026, for the second time, Gia Binh Commune authorities threatened to disconnect residents’ water, electricity and telecommunications if they did not comply with instructions to leave their homes and had over the site to the investor. A resident of Trại Quỳnh Bội, regretful at the loss of a house built by his family only three years previously, said “The government says electricity will be cut on Aug. 15 if we don’t move. Without moving, what would we live on?” He said he had not received compensation or been notified of land for resettlement and might need to ask friends or neighbours if they could provide land or shelter for temporary accommodation.

‘Fake news’ crackdown

Authorities reacted to increased scrutiny and criticism of the Gia Binh Airport project with a repressive crackdown, penalising people for spreading so-called ‘fake news’. According to research by Luật Khoa Magazine since works on the airport began in September 2025 dozens of people accused of disseminating ‘fake news’ have been warned, sanctioned or ‘educated’. Severe measures included police visiting people in their own homes to monitor their opinions and pressuring people to write pledges stating compliance with regulations. One of the key responsibilities of a committee tasked with ‘ensuring security’ and maintaining the airport project schedule is to prevent articles and comments deemed to be ‘negative’ or ‘affecting public opinion and communication efforts’ regarding land clearance for the airport.

Gia Binh Airport area, satellite imageryDigital rendering of Gia Binh Airport and surrounding area
Left image:17/07/2025 satellite imagery of the Gia Binh Airport area highlighting where construction works are visible. Right image: digital rendering of plan for Gia Binh Airport and the surrounding ‘southern Duong River urban area’., source: WE LOVE ASEAN_ASEAN urbanist, 04/09/2025

A 12,800 hectare airport city

Vast urban areas surrounding Gia Binh Airport runways and other aviation facilities have been approved. Planning at a scale of 1/2,000 for the ‘southern Duong River urban area’, a zone covering more than 12,800 hectares described as an ‘international-class airport city’ was approved by the Bac Ninh province in September 2025. On his 7th March 2026 airport site visit the then Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh directed stakeholders to develop the site as an “airport economic ecosystem” and to plan surrounding areas as an aviation economy. The urban area is envisaged to include a free-trade zone, duty free zone, multimodal logistics zone, inland port, conference and exhibition centre, offices, hotels and housing. With a high-density layout a population of between 750,000 and 800,000 people – permanent residents, workers and tourists – is anticipated. Plans for segments of the airport-related urban area, in the Gia Binh, Nhan Thang and Dong Cuu communes, are advancing. The ‘Gia Binh Airport urban area 1’ project, a VND39.52 trillion (USD1.51 billion) urban development covering about 200.8 hectares of land and expected to accommodate about 35,637 residents has been approved along with detailed 1/500 scale planning for ‘Gia Binh Airport Urban Area 2‘, encompassing about 560.5 hectares with an expected population of 70,000-80,000 people. Plans for a 5,000 hectare free trade zone linked to Gia Binh Airport, intending to create a ‘new growth engine for the region’, a ‘gateway connecting Vietnam to global markets’ and a ‘regional trade hub’, were adopted in June 2026.

Ethiopia: Displacement and loss of farming livelihoods for Bishoftu International Airport

Rose Bridger land rights , , , , , , , , , ,

More than 15,000 people are being displaced and losing agricultural and livestock livelihoods for Bishoftu International Airport, ‘Africa’s largest airport’ with an adjoining Airport City. Affected people have concerns about inadequate compensation and resettlement and there are reports of forced eviction, harassment and intimidation.

Bishoftu Airport site, 11th June 2025Bishoftu Airport, 3rd July 2026
Timelapse aerial imagery of Bishoftu International Airport construction site. The 3rd July image shows construction site preparatory works.

On 24th March 2025 Ethiopian Airlines Group (EAG) and African Development Bank (AfDB) signed a Letter of Intent for development of Abusera International Airport Project, USD7.8 billion project on a site about 40 kilometres southeast of Addis Ababa, near the town of Bishoftu. EAG allocated funds for preparation of a 35 square kilometre plot of land for the new airport, with budgets earmarked for land clearance, resettlement and preparing the site for construction. Demolishing structures and relocating residents was anticipated to be completed by September. Previously, in August 2024, EAG CEO Mesfin Tassew said that construction of what was described as a ‘Mega Airport City’ could only proceed with resettlement of up to 2,500 farmers residing on the site. In January 2025 concerns of affected farmers over inadequate compensation, resettlement and support for finding new livelihoods were reported.

Dispossession in the name of development

Oromia Today responded to the agreement between EAG and AfDB with an article titled ‘Development Draped in Dispossession: The Tragedy Behind the Abuu Seeraa Airport Deal’, focussing on more than 15,000 Tuulama Oromo people, indigenous to the regional state of Oromia, facing displacement for the airport. The article reported ‘families being harassed, homes being marked for removal and livelihoods being uprooted’ with no relocation process and eviction orders ‘delivered by undisciplined militias’. The article called for the AfDB to be held accountable and made three demands:

  1. A thorough re-evaluation of the airport project considering impacts on local people, heritage and the environment
  2. For development in Abuu Seeraa to ‘embody a thoughtful integration’ preserving, not erasing, the area’s history and environment with no forced eviction
  3. Fair compensation for displaced people not just with single payments but via a long-term scheme recognising them as stakeholders in the airport with a share in the project reflecting the value of the land acquired

Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) Report

The Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) Report for the airport, now called Bishoftu International Airport Project, was completed on 10th August 2025, several months after reports of resistance to the project had emerged. Major impacts detailed in the ESIA included acquisition of approximately 3,979 hectares of land displacing 2,731 households comprising 15,320 people. The local economy is predominantly rain-fed agriculture and livestock rearing. Common crops include teff, wheat, barley, maize and various legumes including chickpeas, beans, soya beans and peas. Livestock including cattle, sheep, goats, donkeys, mules and horses are integral to local livelihoods providing milk, meat and hides. About 2,518 hectares of agricultural land, where staple crops including teff, wheat, and barley are cultivated, will be lost. In addition, 163.1 hectares of grazing land will be affected and the livelihoods of pastoralists disrupted by loss of seasonal grazing lands. Schools, roads, health and water facilities will be lost and cultural and religious sites including several churches will be impacted.

Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP)

A Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) for Bishoftu International Airport, completed on 2nd October 2025, outlines a ‘comprehensive’ framework for engaging relevant stakeholders during pre-construction, construction and operation. The report states a ‘commitment to effective stakeholder engagement to ensure that community voices are heard and considered in decision-making processes’ with particular attention to vulnerable groups such as women, youth, the elderly and people with disabilities. Several serious risks and concerns were identified during consultations undertaken for the SEP. Project Affected Persons (PAPs) highlighted problems including disputes arising from inaccurate land demarcation, concerns over the fairness of compensation, loss of farmland and impacts on and restoration of livelihoods. Young people are identified as a vulnerable group due to worries about unemployment, loss of land inheritance and exclusion from benefit-sharing mechanisms.

Project implications for communities

In November 2025 Global Oda Nabe Association (GLONA), a USA based non-profit, civil society organisation published The New Mega Airport Project in Aabbuu, Oromia, Ethiopia: The Project Implications on Aabuu Communities. Sources from the affected community said neither the government nor EAG had engaged with them to discuss detailed resettlement plans, ‘They do not know when, where, what their rights are, the process involved for relocation, and what their fate will be following the eviction from their ancestral land. So, the affected communities are now in limbo.’ The community sources also said people raising questions and voicing concerns relating to the airport, demanding full disclosure of the project and how it would affect them, in particular regarding compensation for land, were being intimidated. Many concerning environmental consequences were identified such as deteriorating air quality and waste and sewage from the site which might pollute rivers and groundwater.

Reports of forced eviction

In December 2025 The Economist reported that the airport was expected to displace approximately 15,000 people. Reports indicated that some affected residents had received promises of housing but others were in fear of their land being taken without receiving compensation. There were also reports that activists voicing concerns about the project had been harassed and arrested. A January 2026 statement by the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) condemned the planned ‘mega airport’ and adjoining ‘airport city’ as the most recent and serious chapter of displacement spanning many decades, warning of the eviction of 15,000 people from six villages. Despite allocation of ETB17 billion (USD110 million) for resettlement and rehabilitation of farmers, the situation on the ground was reported to be ‘brutal’ with OLF reporting, ‘farmers…have been forcibly ordered, in the manner of war, to leave without harvesting their crops, moving their property, or even selling their cattle’. OLF rejected rehabilitation limited to cash compensation and demanded equity instead of eviction with displaced communities granted equity shares as co-owners of the airport and intergenerational rights extending benefits to landowners’ descendants.

Displacement in the absence of Free, Prior and Informed Consent

The Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) issued a statement, ‘Development Without Dignity is Dispossession’, to ‘address the grave and escalating situation’ regarding the airport project. The OFC acknowledged an appeal from the Aabbuu Seeraa community and expressed solidarity with 3,000 households ‘facing imminent eviction from their ancestral lands’. OFC described the displacement, in the absence of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), as a legal crisis, violating Article 40 of the Constitution protecting farmers’ rights to land. A call to action included demands for a moratorium on evictions, institutional dialogue, equity not eviction, cultural protection and due diligence from AfDB to ensure compliance with international human rights provisions pertaining to Development-Induced Displacement (DID). The statement concludes, ‘The Oromo Federalist Congress reiterated that we are not anti-development, we are anti-theft. We are anti-erasure. A project of this magnitude, intended to be the “Pride of Africa”, cannot begin with the shame of destroying the very people who host it.‘

Construction of ‘Africa’s largest airport’ begins

Construction of Bishoftu International Airport began on 10th January 2026. The total cost for phase 1 was stated at USD12.5 billion, accommodating 60 million passengers per year, rising to become Africa’s largest airport with a total capacity of 110 million passengers per year. Reuters reported that some young residents being displaced for the airport were worried because their parents had been given houses but they had not and renting a house is expensive. On 30th January 2026 Oromia Today published an in-depth report, ‘Aabbuu Seeraa: Building Progress on Indigenous Erasure’, decrying the displacement of approximately 15,000 people for the airport, the ‘overwhelming majority’ of whom had not received replacement housing or new livelihoods. People protesting their post-eviction situation had been incarcerated. Communities using social media to document discrepancies between the official account of their displacement and their lived reality were punished. A few new houses had been constructed but about 95 per cent of displaced people had been left without land, shelter or an alternative income. The report called for replacement housing and livelihood restoration before displacement, transparent management of compensation with auditable records, protection of the environment and heritage, sensitivity regarding demographic impacts, permanent stakeholder status for affected people and an independent international assessment to evaluate compliance with human rights standards.

Displaced residents suffer hardship

On 9th February 2026 Addis Standard reported that Abusera residents displaced for construction of Bishoftu Airport were suffering from hardship having received neither the compensation nor replacement housing they had been assured of. An affected resident said she had documentation for three inherited plots, but, since the land was acquired for the airport had not received compensation or housing. She said, “It is not only compensation, even the houses given to others were not provided to us. I am raising my grievance with government officials and I have proof of ownership.” Another resident said he had been displaced from three inherited plots of land, for which he had a court order confirming his ownership, and was living in rented accommodation having difficulties providing for his two children. On 10th February EAG stated it had built housing in Bishoftu for residents displaced by airport construction and livelihood support for had been prepared. Yet some affected residents continued to claim they had not received compensation or adequate support for resettlement. Later that month the Director General of the Petroleum and Energy Authority, Destaw Mekwanant, announced provision of a specific fuel allocation of 16.5 million litres per month for construction of Bishoftu Airport.

For more information including references for all source material, photos and graphics see the case study on EJAtlas, the world’s largest, most comprehensive online database of social conflict around environmental issues – Bishoftu International Airport and Mega Airport City, Ethiopia

Scotland: Glasgow AirportCity ambitions boosted by tax breaks for advanced manufacturing site

Rose Bridger tax breaks , , , , , , , , ,

Within days of confirmation of tax breaks for businesses locating at Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS), next to Glasgow Airport, further public funding was announced and a new private aviation terminal unveiled.

Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS) site
The Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS) site is adjacent to Glasgow Airport. The approximate boundary of the 52-hectare Netherton development site in this graphic is derived from the AMIDS website. Aerial image: 18/08/2025

On 14th March 2026 the UK and Scottish governments confirmed that new tax incentives had been made available to businesses locating at Glasgow Airport and the neighbouring Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS) site. Eligible businesses can access up to £25 million in tax breaks on Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT), Non-Domestic Rates (NDR), enhanced capital allowance, enhanced structures and buildings allowance and National Insurance (NI) contributions. The 52-hectare Netherton development site, offering plots for leasehold, is described as the ‘heart’ of AMIDS. Overall, the new tax site spans more than 112 hectares and in addition to Glasgow Airport and AMIDS includes sites neighbouring the airport in Abbotsinch, Airside North and Campsie Drive. The tax relief scheme is part of the Glasgow City Region Investment Zone which, over ten years, has received more than £190 million in funding from the UK and Scottish governments. Kam Jandu, CEO of AGS Airports Ltd., owner and operator of Glasgow Airport, said, “Securing tax site status as part of the Glasgow City Region Investment Zone is a hugely significant moment for Glasgow Airport and the wider region. It accelerates our ambition to develop a Glasgow AirportCity – a hub of precision engineering and advanced manufacturing with significant apprenticeship and upskilling programmes forecast to help create 2,300 skilled jobs and £205 million in annual GVA [Gross Added Value]’.

Very few jobs are evident in the AMIDS promotional interactive map; it is almost devoid of people. The NMIS is packed with machinery and has a striking purple and glass facade, but the lobby, seats, desks, meeting spaces and benches in expansive outdoor spaces are almost empty. A few people stand alone wearing VR headsets. There is nobody in the Digital Factory video. Only one of four images of CPI Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre (MMIC) labs shows someone working in it. The Overview Brochure ‘Connectivity’ page highlights AMID’s adjacency to Glasgow Airport with 30 airlines serving 120 destinations worldwide, this dependency on fossil-fuel intensive air transport contradicting a commitment to ‘net zero’ carbon emissions. Convenient local transportation links to the natural beauty of Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, the vibrant Glasgow City centre are promoted, for leisure purposes. But the purported ‘dynamic ecosystem’ of AMIDS site is all about global connections and a select group of firms, institutions and authorities. AMIDS is a cosseted cluster, bestowed with subsidies and other support unavailable to businesses outside its boundaries. The publicity is a swirl of hype – ‘world class’, ‘world leading’, ‘cutting edge’, ‘world leading research’, ‘pioneering breakthroughs that shape and meet challenges of the future’, staffed by ‘forward thinking minds’, ‘big thinkers’ and ‘can-doers’. There is no sign of humility in this techno-optimists’ paradise.

Tax breaks for AMIDS come in addition to allocation of large amounts of public funds. Infrastructure including key roads and bridges was supported by £39 million in City Deal infrastructure funding. Two manufacturing centres located on the AMIDS site received substantial funds from the Scottish government: £48 million for the National Manufacturing Institute for Scotland (NMIS) and £8.9 million for the Lightweight Manufacturing Centre. News of another tranche of government funding for AMIDS emerged only three days after the tax reliefs announcement. Scottish Enterprise, Scotland’s national economic development agency, approved a £4.74 million package for a development at AMIDS called Tech Terrace which aims to ‘establish a world-class, high-value manufacturing cluster within a campus environment, where innovative organisations can work together to pioneer breakthroughs and meet challenges of the future’. The Scottish Enterprise Funding will be matched by AMIDS joint venture partners Renfrewshire Council (indicating allocation of further public funds for the project) and Buccleuch Property.

Just two days after the AMIDS tax reliefs announcement a new facility at Glasgow Airport specifically serving a wealthy minority was unveiled. On 16th March 2026, Signature Aviation, the world’s largest network of private aviation terminals, held a ‘grand opening celebration’ for a new private aviation terminal. Glasgow Airport’s 433 square metre private terminal has an expansive passenger lounge, VIP lounge, large meeting room, dedicated screening room and showers. Signature Aviation CEO Tony Lefebvre said the opening of the new terminal reflected ‘our commitment to delivering a truly elevated, hospitality-driven experience for our guests” and that development of facilities around the world is “focused on creating thoughtfully designed spaces that support the operational needs of our guests with the comfort, privacy and seamless service that Signature is known for.” The new private terminal is just 300 metres from the AMIDS Netherton development site boundary and located amidst other Glasgow City Region Investment Zone tax sites as shown in this UK Government map.

Mega Airport City in Bishoftu, Ethiopia

Rose Bridger land rights , , , , , , , ,

Construction of Africa’s biggest airport, a Mega Airport City, in Bishoftu, Ethiopia, is set to take up a vast 35 square kilometre site and a budget of USD6 billion just for the first phase and has met with resistance from farmers impacted by the resettlement process.

Mega Airport City, Bishoftu, Ethiopia
Artist rendering of planned Mega Airport City in Bishoftu, Ethiopia. Photo: Ethiopian Airlines, September 2024

Ethiopian Airlines announced plans for an airport city in Abusera (in Bishoftu, part of central Ethiopia’s Oromia region, about 40 kilometres southeast of Addis Ababa) in September 2018. CEO Tewolde Gebremariam said the location was selected because of its elevation; at about 1,900 metres above sea level it is considerably lower than Addis Ababa at 2,400 metres. This would bring the advantage of improved fuel efficiency for flights in comparison with Ethiopia’s existing main airport, Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. French engineering firm ADP Ingénierie (ADPI) conducted a site selection study and in February 2019 the Council of Ministers was set to endorse the proposed site in Abusera. Gebremariam said the mega-hub would not just be an airport, costing USD4 billion with four runways and capacity to handle 80 million passengers per year; it would include other infrastructures making it an airport city with a large duty-free shopping area, entertainment centres, hotels, business centre, logistics centres and real estate development. By January 2020 the airport city plans had become even more ambitious; passenger capacity had increased to 100 million per year. The anticipated cost had also risen significantly. Gebremariam said “We have identified 35sqkm land to be developed as an airport and it is about a $5bn project – larger than the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). It is going to accommodate 100m passengers; larger than Dubai and more or less equal to the new Istanbul airport.”

In February 2024 Ethiopian Airlines announced that the designated land for the airport city had been secured and that the project would encompass an area of 38 to 40 square kilometres. A spokesperson said the Oromia Regional Government, in collaboration with the Federal Government, was evacuating residents from the site to make way for construction to begin. The estimated cost of the megaproject had escalated again. In August 2024 Ethiopian Airlines was searching for USD6 billion in financing just for the first phase of what was now called a ‘Mega Airport City’. Projected passenger capacity increased again, to 110 million per annum, and the Dar Al-Handasah consultancy was awarded the contract for design and supervision of the Mega Airport City. At the signing ceremony Ethiopian Airlines stated, ‘The architectural team will incorporate elements of Ethiopian heritage to establish a people-centric, intuitive airport characterised by sustainability, resilience, and future-readiness.’

The claim to be ‘intuitive airport’, ascribing sentience to infrastructure, is just meaningless corporate guff. And the claims to be ‘people-centric’ boasting the qualities of ‘sustainability’, ‘resilience’ and ‘future-readiness’ disregard the airport city’s impacts on the people most directly affected, those who are being displaced to make way for it. Simultaneous with the search for USD6 billion to finance the airport city it was announced that construction could only go ahead if up to 2,500 farmers currently residing on and surrounding the site were resettled. Mesfin Tassev, CEO of Dar Al-Handasah, said a 740-hectare plot had been allocated by the Oromia Regional Government for this purpose, along with 17 billion Birr (USD172.5 million) for resettlement and development works. Design work was anticipated to be complete by December 2025 followed by construction of housing and other basic facilities along with development of employment opportunities for relocated residents by the end of 2026. Mesfin told The Reporter, “The construction of the airport city depends on the resettlement of the farmers. It will commence as soon as they move.”

The resettlement process is not proceeding smoothly. By January 2025 it was reported that Africa’s biggest airport was under construction but ‘faced significant challenges’ regarding coordination of finances, geopolitical dynamics, environmental concerns and the complex task of relocating affected communities. The airport city has triggered local resistance. Affected farmers, many of whom depend upon their land for subsistence and farming livelihoods, are concerned about compensation and resettlement. Many of them feel inadequately compensated and there are reports that the compensation offer was far less than the land’s market value. Resettlement has also caused discontent. Some farmers claim that clear plans for relocation and support for finding new livelihoods have not been provided. During a local meeting held to discuss the project one farmer said, “I’ve cultivated this land for decades. It’s not just my home. It’s my history and my family’s future.”

New Phnom Penh Airport land dispute enters fifth year

Rose Bridger Cambodia , , , , , , , ,

Disputes over land acquisition for New Phnom Penh Airport date back to 2018 when 2,600 hectares, in the Kandal Province, were allocated for the project. With an estimated cost of US$1.5 billion the development was described as one of the world’s largest airports by land area with an adjoining ‘Airport City’. The site is predominantly agricultural land and villagers were shocked by sudden news of the airport and the prospect of losing homes, land and livelihoods from farming and fishing. A series of protests between February and June 2018 involved hundreds of people, representing about 2,000 families, complaining of low compensation offers, intimidation during negotiations over land and encroachment onto communally held wetlands. By December 2019 foundations for the airport were being laid.

Protest continued into 2020. In June the Kandal Stung district governor said 2,000 plots of land were affected by airport construction and in August villagers from the Kandal and Takeo provinces whose farmland fell within the planned site petitioned the Prime Minister requesting a bigger payout from the airport developer. By May 2021 construction of New Phnom Penh Airport was reported to be 40% complete, with the terminal hall, airfield and 100 metre high control tower already in place. A State Secretariat of Aviation (SSCA) spokesperson said, “We are aware that the pandemic has disrupted many projects and the economy, but the construction of the airport in Kandal Province and other airport projects in the country have been on schedule.” The map below, dated 17th July 2021, shows satellite imagery of part of the airport site and communes impacted by land acquisition including Ampov Prey, Boeng Khyang and Kandork.

New Phnom Penh Airport construction site, satellite imagery 17th July 2021

The land dispute escalated on 14th May 2021 when approximately 200 people who said their rice crops had been destroyed set up a protest camp blocking a road to the construction site. They set up tents and a few days later several of them surrounded a bulldozer and demanded proper compensation for their land and crops. Residents were still blocking bulldozers from clearing farmland in July and authorities warned journalists against covering the land dispute. On 7th September about 50 villagers attempted to block National Road 2 in protest against development of New Phnom Penh Airport. They were confronted by about 100 security officers but the standoff remained non-violent. Then police set up roadblocks to prevent villagers from inspecting land they had been displaced from. A representative of Kampong Talong village (shown to the south of the map) said villagers were being prevented from seeing land that had been seized for airport construction. They had ceased cultivating the land three years ago but economic hardship, due to business shutdowns during the Covid pandemic, had driven them to start farming it again as they had been left without other ways to survive.

On 12th September 2021 a ‘clash’ between about 100 protesters and about 400 police left 13 officers and an unknown number of protesters injured. Kandal provincial police dispersed the protests with teargas and about 30 people were arrested and detained. Nine of the arrested people were accused of violence – specifically being in possession of sticks stones and slingshots, hurling gasoline and burning tyres. In February 2022 a dozen excavators were digging up rice fields and wetland in Boeng Khyang and dozens of police and military officials were dispatched to ensure implementation of authorities’ instructions to carry out the works. The nine protesters charged with violence were acquitted in November 2022. At this time the number of villagers impacted by land acquisition increased; about 200 people demanded to know whether they would be joining the 300 families already being displaced for the airport. Numbers were sprayed in red paint on dozens of houses alongside the 94 canal, located about 5km from the airport site. Then in January 2023 residents affected by the airport development said company workers had instructed them to dismantle sheds housing animals, causing anxiety that their land might be cleared. Representatives of 460 families living around the airport project had requested land titles the previous month but received no response.

For more information about the airport land dispute see the case write-up on EJAtlas, the world’s largest, most comprehensive online database of socio-economic conflict related to environmental issues: New Phnom Aiport and Airport City, Kandal Province, Cambodia

Long term land tensions over Nadzab Airport Redevelopment Plan (NARP) and Airport City

Rose Bridger land rights , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Plans for airport city style development at Nadzab Airport – located 42km to the northwest of Lae, capital of the Morobe Province and Papua New Guinea’s second largest city – emerged in a 2011 masterplan for future growth of the airport both as an aeronautical hub and as a commercial and industrial centre. Nadzab Airport’s extensive land holding was earmarked for development and expansion over a time-frame of 50-70 years. The graphic below, showing a business hub next to the airport, is from Nadzab Central Strategic Plan, produced by Planpac and identifying development opportunities for 700 hectares of greenfield land.

Nadzab Central Strategic Plan. Graphic: PLANPAC
In 2012 PLANPAC developed a Strategic Land Use Masterplan for Nadzab Central Strategic Plan, a business hub next to Nadzab Airport, with 700 hectares of greenfield land on a 1,100 hectare site. Graphic: PLANPAC

Tensions between clans over ownership of land parcels date back to the inception of the airport project, in 1972 when the country was under Australian colonial administration. A loan agreement between the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the PNG government – for ¥26,942 million (USD225.2 million) of an estimated project cost of ¥32,246 million (USD269.6 million) – was signed on 14th October 2015 and the project came to be known as Nadzab Airport Redevelopment Plan (NARP). Plans for an Airport City were mentioned in 2017 and in February 2020 NARP project manager said it was a major airport and city development and the provincial government must help address landowner issues. Prime Minister James Marape tasked Lands and Planning Minister John Rosso to start mobilising landowners in preparation for the project. In April 2021 PNG National Airports Corporation (NAC) managing director and chief executive Rex Kiponge said that upon completion of NARP the airport city concept would be rolled out, saying “When the airport is complete, the commercial aspects of the airport business hub must complement it.”

The village of Gabsongkeg is at the centre of NARP and landowners have made repeated calls for consultation, participation in the project and spin-off business opportunities. In 2020 landowners were disappointed that construction and security contracts were awarded to outsiders overlooking reputable local businesses. In January 2022 it was reported that only a small number of landowners were benefitting from leasing their customary land for associated businesses. Local people impacted by airport development still lack clean running water, electricity and adequate health facilities. NARP and other projects, such as a 4-lane highway and gold and copper mining, have triggered an influx of people, disrupting the social fabric and leading to increased social problems including violence, killings and drug & alcohol abuse. The area lacks a police station to address these issues.

Serious social problems of rape, underage marriage and prostitution specifically harm women. And women have been marginalized in land-related negotiations and decisions due to government assumptions of patrilineal land descent. Yet in the midst of these difficulties 60 Gabsongkeg women – planning ahead as most of the land in Gabsongkeg where coconut, plantain, cocoa and other trees are cultivated, is set to be taken over by the Nadzab township development – have established table markets selling food and other goods. They have increased their incomes and aim to grow their ventures into small-medium sized enterprises to support their families in the future.

Further information about contested land and other issues arising from Nadzab Airport has been published on EJatlas, the world’s largest, most comprehensive online database of social conflict around environmental issues: Nadzab Airport Redevlopment Plan (NARP) and Airport City, PNG

Residents impacted by Swaziland’s international airport still demanding compensation

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In 2003 construction of an international airport in Sikhuphe, Swaziland was initiated by King Mswati III, who rules the country as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch. From its inception commentators warned that the new airport was a waste of resources, diverting funding away from vital projects to fight poverty in Swaziland. In contrast with the one in seven of the coutnry’s inhabitants living in abject poverty King Mswati III enjoyed a lavish lifestyle with 13 palaces, fleets of luxury cars and a private jet.

September 2021 satellite imagery of King Mswati III International Airport and some of the surrounding road network

In March 2014, presiding over an expensive opening ceremony, King Mswati III unveiled the name of the new airport: King Mswati III International Airport. In the lead up to this event he had announced that a new town would be established to support the new airport, which would bring development to the surrounding communities, including Mbadlane, Hlane and Malindza. He proclaimed “After a radius of about five kilometres from the airport, urban structures will be constructed.” More than three years later, in October 2017, the Times of Swaziland reported that King Mswati III International Airport had ‘brought nothing but misery to hundreds of residents of Sikhuphe, in Malindza, where the airfield was constructed’. They had not received any compensation for their relocation, despite a consultant’s recommendation that a sum of approximately US$6 million be allocated for resettlement of 188 homesteads falling within the boundary of the so-called ‘airport city’.

There was a series of protests over impacts of airport and road construction and lack of compensation in 2021. In September, Malindza residents protested disruption of their water supply caused by construction of a road serving the airport, and demanded its restoration. They had been left struggling to access water to sustain their cultivation of vegetables and rearing of livestock after a dam was destroyed by Inyatsi, a firm with close connections to the government which was awarded construction contracts for King Mswati III International Airport along with a major highway connecting South Africa to Mozambique via the airport. In November a group of about 200 residents blocked Inyatsi’s trucks from entering the quarry near King Mswati III International Airport. It was their third protest in three months. In November 2021 some of the residents of Malindza who were displaced to make way for the project and whose houses were damaged by blasting works during construction – of the airport and road leading to it – were still demanding compensation. Blasting had caused cracks in their houses. A group of residents, mainly women, protested for almost a week and camped in the bushes. They had lost patience after struggling for compensation for almost 20 years.

Malindza residents demand compensation for damage to their houses causes by construction of King Mswati III Airport
Over 200 residents slept in the bushes demanding compensation for damage to their houses during construction of King Mswati III Airport. Photo: Swaziland News, 12/11/2021

This case of airport-related injustice is documented on EJAtlas, the world’s largest online database of social conflict around environmental issues: King Mswati II International Airport

Land acquisition for proposed aerotropolis in Kedah, Malaysia

Rose Bridger land rights , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A proposed aerotropolis in Malaysia, KXP AirportCity, is one of a number of strategic infrastructure projects under the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) Strategic Development Plan 2021-2025. The project, also referred to as Kedah Aerotropolis, comprises a new airport, Kulim International Airport and Sidam Logistics, Aerospace and Manufacturing Hub (SLAM). The Kedah Aerotropolis page on the NCER website describes an aerotropolis as ‘a metropolitan subregion whose infrastructure, land use and economy are centred on an airport’. It states that the proposed development would take up 9,841 acres (3,983 hectares) of land and that ‘KXP has readily available land that can cater for its expansion for the next 20 to 50 years’. Images in the sildeshow below show: a map of the proposed KXP AirportCity site with associated road development including a new expressway interchange, an aerial image with a digitised boundary of the proposed site, predominantly consisting of farmland, and a Kedah Aerotropolis infographic.

The Kedah state government appointed KXP AirportCity Holdings (KAHSB) to manage and coordinate construction of Kulim Airport. In February 2020, after witnessed a signing ceremony between the CEO of KAHSB and Aeroport de Paris Ingenierie (ADPI), the firm appointed to draw up a development master plan for KXP, Kedah Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) Mukhriz Mahathir invited airport investors, operators and concession holders to invest in the project. He said “The risks of uncertainties regarding land acquisition have been settled” and announced that 3,982 hectares of land had been gazetted to KXP and the Federal Government had approved a “large loan facility” for Kedah to acquire the land, currently belonging to private owners.

But land acquisition for KXP AirportCity met with a protest by villagers concerned they would lose their land and livelihoods. Many Pantai Cicar villagers were concerned that land they had lived on for almost a century could be lost as it was within the area earmarked for construction of the airport city project. On 28th February 2020 about 300 residents of Pantai Cicar village gathered in front of the mosque to protest against land acquisition for the proposed KXP project. The chairman of a village action committee said the earmarked land included more than 200 houses, the mosque that had been built by the community and the cemetary where their ancestors were buried. Implementation of the airport project would impact upon residents whose main livelihoods are from rubber tapping, working on palm plantations and self-employment.

On 28th February 2020 about residents of Pantai Cicar village protested against proposed construction of KXP AirportCity / Kulim Airport in their village, Sinar Hinan, 2nd March 2020

A video of the 28th February protest against taking Pantai Cicar village land for KXP AirportCity shows a large gathering of people. Some of the banners at the protest are written in English and read:

OUR LAND FOR NEXT GENERATION AND NOT FOR NEW AIRPORT, WHY NEED TO CONSTRUCT NEW AIRPORT AT TRADITIONAL VILLAGES

DON’T TAKE OUR BELOVED VILLAGE, AVOID THE KXP, FROM OUR VILLAGE, MOVE THE KXP TO THE PKNK OWN PROPERTY

DON’T DISTURB OUR COMMUNITY WITH NEW AIRPORT PROJECT

OUR LAND FOR NEXT GENERATION AND NOT FOR NEW KXP CITY & AIRPORT

WE LOVE STAY UNITY. PLEASE DON’T DEVIDE US WITH SPLIT SETTLEMENT, WE DO NOT NEED NEW AIRPORT AT THIS MOMENT

WE LOVE STAY UNITY. PLEASE DON’T DEVIDE US WITH SPLIT SETTLEMENT, DEALING WITH BIAS NOT OUR CULTURE!

At the time of the protest preparations were underway to hand over a memorandum containing almost 1,000 residents’ signatures to the state government. In addition to Pantai Cicar several nearby villages were also listed in the proposed land acquisition: Kuala Sedim, Jerung, Kemumbong, Lubuk Kiab, Batu Pekaka and Tanah Licin. The local government and housing committee chairman said the Kedah state government would investigate and review the project’s impact on the environment, saying planning was just beginning and there would be a discussion session.

Since a Kulim airport project was being considered in 2014 there has been an emphasis on potential air cargo operations. In December 2014 Mukhriz said the Kedah state government planned to construct an ‘aerocity’ at the proposed Kulim Airport; an industrial and business area, located on what was at that juncture specified as a 600 hectare airport precinct, would “accommodate all industries related to air transportation”. In March 2015 Mukhriz said Kulim Airport would initially operate as a cargo facility. In November 2020 KXP was described as ‘an airport city that will be an integral part of the Kedah Aerotropolis economic region driven by intermodal connectivity focussing on cargo, logistics and industrial development’. It is envisaged that Kulim Airport’s cargo facilities and the development of the aerotropolis will be complemented by the Sidam Logistics, Aerospace and Manufacturing Hub (SLAM).

Allegations of land encroachment for Anambra Airport City/Cargo Airport

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A large area of farmland was cleared for an airport city/cargo airport in Anambra, southern Nigeria and neighbouring communities complain of expansion of the project site and land grabbing. Two satellite images of the site show major changes over a four year period. The image on the left shows the airport site in January 2016, before announcement of the project, containing many plots of farmland. On the right, an image dated February 2020 shows a large expanse of farmland has been cleared for Anambra Airport City runway and other facilities.

Slide bar in the middle of the two images to see changes to landscape from clearing farmland for airport construction

The Anambra Airport City project, also also referred to as Umueri Airport City and Anambra Cargo Airport, was launched in April 2017. A two-runway airport with an airport hotel, business park, international convention centre along with aviation fuel and aircraft maintenance facilities, costing more than USD2.2 billion was announced by the governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano. Two years later a large expanse of land had been cleared but little work had been done on the site. Igbo Renaissance Council stated that the employment for local people that was promised had not materialized and residents whose homes had been razed to make way for the project had been left ‘dejected and depressed with no sign of hope on the horizon’.

In July 2020 – in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, with airports that had been closed since March only slowly recommencing operations – residents of several communities around the Anmbra Airport site complained that government agents responsible for executing the project were encroaching beyond the boundary of the land area that had been allocated. People of Umuopo, Umuinu and Enuagu kindreds in Umueri, north of the airport site, stated that they were being dispossessed of their remaining portions of land and had been “thrown into pains and agony“. They said the government was deliberately making them refugees on their own land. Community investigation revealed that unscupulous individuals were annexing their land and they called on the state government for help, stating:

“By extending their hand into other portions of our land, what does the government expect us to survive with as we are just farmers? We have written, we have cried, we have pleaded and we have engaged in all forms of diplomacy to demand that government restricts itself to the agreed portion of land, all to no avail.”

It was also reported that residents of Ifite Nteje, a community to the south of the Anambra airport project, were suffering from violence meted out by youths who had seized communal land. A band of youths had ‘unleashed mayhem on the community, sacking villagers from their homes’. People opposing sale of their communal land had been beaten with many being injured and homes had been burned down. Members of the community said the crisis had ‘brought hunger and famine as they no longer have land for farming’ and ‘they dared no go to their farms anymore for fear of being maimed, while the women among them were raped’. One woman, a widow, said their formerly peaceful community had been taken over by violence and she was one of many women who no longer had land to farm that they needed to feed their families.

On 14th October 2020 it was reported that youths from the Umueri community had dispersed bulldozers that had been had been stationed, without notice, to demolish farmland and privately owned agro-investments. A farm owner maintained his affected farm was not within the airport area and appealed for intervention from the state government to halt trespassing. On 19th October residents of Umuopo, Enuagu and Umuinu protested against alleged encroachment on their land, lighting a bonfire and blocking the road to the airport site. Some of the placards read: “We can’t be refugees and IDPs in our own land”; “We’re farmers why collect our land to build housing estate”; “Anambra State government go to the portion of land given for the airport.” The protestors described the government’s action as a deliberate attempt to impoverish the people, who were predominantly farmers. The Chairman of Ifite Umueri Community claimed that they had given the government 729.60 hectares for the airport project, but over 1,901 hectares had been taken.

Obiano, Anambra State governor, continues to support the Anambra Airport project, saying it will have the second longest runway in Nigeria after Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos. Then on 4th November the Anambra State Government set aside Naira 5.8 billion (USD15.2 million) for completion of the Anambra Airport project during the presentation of the 2021 Appropriation Bill.

cluster of airport-related conflicts in Nigeria

Information about Anambra Airport City/Cargo Airport and its impact on neighbouring communities is a new addition to a cluster of similar airport projects in southern Nigeria, all of which are documented and analyzed in the Map of Airport-Related Injustice and Resistance, a partnership project coordinated by EnvJustice and the Stay Grounded Network. Land has been cleared to make way for proposed cargo airports in Ekiti, Ogun, Obudu and Ebonyi. In all four cases bulldozers arrived without warning and began destroying people’s farmland and crops to make way for airport construction.

In the case of the proposed Ekiti airport bulldozers ripped down trees and cleared farmland before even consulting affected farm owners from five villages. Farmers succeeded in stalling the project and secured a major court victory with all their claims against the state government being vindicated. Hundreds of farmers protested against land-grabbing for a cargo airport in Ogun State. In 2018 it was reported that 5,000 farmers were affected by the project and some had been intimidated and their crops bulldozed. Earth moving equipment began destroying farmland and felling trees in three Obudu villages where land has been earmarked for an airport, flouting project planning and land procedures. Allocation of a large land area for a proposed cargo airport in Ebonyi cargo triggered protests by people facing displacement from their ancestral homes and farmland. Bulldozers began clearing land and destroying crops and landowners raised alarm over imminent hunger in their community.

Global map of aviation-related socio-environmental conflicts and justice movements

Rose Bridger land rights, maps , , , , , , , , , , ,

A global map of socio-environmental conflicts and justice movements related to aviation-related projects includes 60 cases that have already been analyzed. The map provides a wealth of information on how people and the environment can be negatively impacted by new airports and expansion of existing airports. Affected communities contend with a multitude of injustices: eviction, land dispossession, loss of farmland and fishing grounds, destruction of ecosystems, construction work impacts and health damage from aircraft pollution and noise once airport projects become operational. More than 300 such cases around the world have been registered in the research project, conducted by the EnvJustice project and the Stay Grounded network.

Global map of aviation-related conflicts and environmental justice movements produced by The EnvJustice project of the Environmental Science and Technology Institute at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Autonomous University of Barcelona) ICTA-UAB and the Stay Grounded network
Map of aviation-related conflicts and environmental justice movements around the world

Several aerotropolis or airport city projects, i.e. substantial commercial and/or industrial development constructed or planned on land surrounding or adjoining an airport, are documented and analyzed. Examples include Kertajati Airport and New Yogyakarta International Airport in Indonesia, both of which involved forcible eviction of communities from several villages from their homes and farmlands. In Cambodia, the government has approved a plan for a new Phnom Penh Airport, one of the world’s largest airports by land area, along with an associated ‘airport city’. The proposed site, predominantly agricultural land, encompasses land that Kandal Stueng villages have resided on for two decades, including communally held wetlands. About 2,000 families could be affected and hundreds of people have protested against the development.

In India, Andal Aerotropolis is a private airport city development that was stalled by sharecroppers protesting delays in receiving compensation for land taken for the project. Landowners from seven villages in Purandar sustained resistance against loss of their homes and farmland for a new airport since the location of the project was announced in 2016. Then in 2018 it was reported that the state government was forming a consortium to drive investment in an ‘airport city’ around the airport. Villagers’ resistance against displacement from their farmland for Bhogapuram Aerotropolis, also referred to as an ‘aerocity’, succeeded in reducing the land area allocated to the project from 6,000 hectares to 1,122 hectares, along with securing higher compensation for a group of farmers.

A plan for a new airport on the Arial Beel wetlands in Bangladesh is an example of a aerotropolis-type megaproject that was halted by mass mobilisation. A vast swath of land had been earmarked for development, 10,117 hectares for the airport and an accompanying ‘satellite city’, and the farming and fishing livelihoods of thousands of people were set to be seriously affected with wetlands paved over. The government cancelled the project after major protests, the largest of which involved 30,000 people. In the Philippines, mangroves, coastal wetlands providing a vital habitat for many species and protection from erosion and flooding, have already been destroyed to make way for the proposed Bulacan Aerotopolis which threatens to destroy fishing livelihoods. Airport projects can entail deforestation. In Nepal, the proposed Nijgadh Airport, a massive 8,000 hectare aerotropolis, raises the prospect of over 2.4 million trees being felled.

A number of airport projects shown on the map are key components of tourism development schemes that are based upon aviation dependency. A proposed new airport on the Island of Fainu, in The Maldives, is accompanied by a plan for an adjoining hotel. The project would destroy a long stretch of white sand coastline, dense forest and agricultural land, the airport and hotel projects combined swallowing up much of the small island. Another example is the Philippine island of Sicogon where, in the aftermath of the devastation wreaked by Typhoon Yolanda, developers seized upon the opportunity for tourism development, the first phase of which includes an airport specifically for tourism along with beachfront accommodation. Disaster capitalism is also evident in the Caribbean island of Barbuda where land clearance for construction of a new airport, intended to support tourism growth in particular high-end resorts, began shortly after residents were evacuated following Hurricane Irma.

The map includes two major airports built to support fossil fuel projects. Uganda’s second international airport, Hoima Airport, currently under construction, is a key component of the 29 square kilometre Kabaale Petrochemical Industrial Park. With a 3.5 kilometre length runway, capable of accommodating the world’s largest cargo aircraft, it is envisaged that in its first phase of operations Hoima Airport will handle delivery of heavy equipment for the oil refinery on the site. In a similar vein, Komo Airfield, in the southern highlands of Papua New Guinea, has the country’s longest runway and was built for delivery of heavyweight and outsize equipment for the ExxonMobil led PNG LNG (liquefied natural gas) project.

A number of cases shown on the map involve allocation of larger areas of land than would be required for aviation operations, increasing the number of people potentially facing displacement due to land acquisition, but without clear information on what the excess land might be utilized for. For example, in Nigeria the Cross River State government intends to acquire 900 hectares of land for a proposed Obudu International Passenger and Cargo Airport and people have been evicted from their homes and farmlands. In a similar case in Nigeria, bulldozers arrived without warning to clear 4,000 hectares of farmland where crops including cocoa, palm trees and bananas were cultivated for a cargo airport in Ekiti. This airport project is one instance of a successful court case where affected people secured a court victory that halted the airport project. Also in Nigeria, about 5,000 people from 20 villages could be affected by a proposed Ogun cargo airport and hundreds of farmers protested against land-grabbing.

The map of aviation-related conflicts and environmental justice movements is an ongoing project in development coordinated by the EnvJustice (ICTA-UAB) project and the Stay Grounded network. In addition to the 60 airport-related cases already included, a great many further cases have been registered as meriting further investigation. A total of 300 cases have been registered. The information gathered for the global map has been provided by a wide variety of organizations, local collectives and academics. The research team is coordinated by Rose Bridger (Stay Grounded) and Sara Mingorria (ICTA-UAB). This already substantial database and interactive map related to airports is part of Ejatlas, the biggest global inventory of socio-environmental conflicts around the world. As of 11th July 2019 2,831 cases were registered on Ejatlas and this is anticipated to increase to 3,000 cases by the end of the year.