Do I need an AAI NOC before building on a plot near Tirupati airport, even if the plot is TUDA-approved?

Yes. TUDA approval covers land use zoning under Master Plan 2040. AAI NOC under G.S.R. 751(E) governs building height. Both are mandatory; neither substitutes for the other.

What is the maximum height allowed in the airport funnel zone near Tirupati Airport?

Height equals 2% of horizontal distance from the runway edge. A plot 1,000 m away is capped at 20 m. Closer plots may be restricted to one story.

What is the CCZM, and does Tirupati Airport have one?

AAI's color-coded zoning map showing pre-calculated permissible heights. Tirupati's CCZM is downloadable from nocas2.aai.aero. Below the CCZM limit, local bodies can approve; above it, full AAI NOC is required.

How far from Tirupati Airport do height restrictions apply?

Tirupati is an IFR airport with an ILS. The mandatory NOC radius for IFR airports is 56 km from the Aerodrome Reference Point, not the commonly cited 20 km.

What happens if a building violates Tirupati Airport's height restrictions?

Demolition orders can be issued under the 1994 Aircraft Rules. Occupancy certificates can be refused, bank loans withdrawn, and no regularisation route exists. Aviation safety violations carry zero exemption.

How do I apply for an AAI height NOC for a plot near the Tirupati airport?

Apply on NOCAS at aai.aero. Submit WGS84 coordinates, licensed surveyor-certified site elevation, site photographs, and Google Earth plot identification. Processing takes up to three weeks after document verification.

Can a broker claim a plot near Renigunta is "free from airport restrictions"?

No broker has that authority. Only an AAI NOCAS clearance or CCZM-verified permitted top elevation confirms compliance. Without a NOCAS reference number for the survey number, treat any claim as unverified.

Does the Tirupati runway expansion in February 2025 change the height restriction zones?

Yes. The runway extended from 2,286 m to 3,810 m in February 2025. The funnel zone shifted. Any pre-2025 height clearance for plots near runway ends must be re-verified on NOCAS.

Air Funnel Zones

Tirupati Air Funnel Zones: Building Height Restrictions

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Overview

Tirupati Airport (IATA: TIR, ICAO: VOTP), located at Renigunta on NH-71, about 14 km from Tirupati city, is an international instrument-runway airport. Under G.S.R. 751(E), the Ministry of Civil Aviation's Height Restrictions for Safeguarding of Aircraft Operations Rules 2015, every structure within 20 km of the Aerodrome Reference Point (ARP) requires a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for height clearance from the Airports Authority of India (AAI). This 1-acre layer maps the AAI Color-Coded Zoning Map (CCZM) data for Tirupati, showing where funnel zones, approach surfaces, and height caps directly constrain what you can build.

Height Limits and Hidden Traps in Tirupati's Airport Restriction Zones

The airport at Renigunta operates off a single instrument runway (designated 08/26), extended in February 2025 to 3,810 m, with a full instrument landing system. This means the airport is classified as an IFR airport, extending the mandatory NOC radius to 56 km from the ARP. Most buyers only know about the 20 km rule. Sellers near Renigunta, Korramenigunta, and Anjimedu rarely volunteer the full picture.

The table below shows the key Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS) zones and their height implications for construction:

OLS Zone

Distance from Runway Strip

Max Permitted Height

NOC Authority

No Construction Zone (Runway Strip)

0–500 m

No construction at all

AAI

Approach/Takeoff Funnel

Beyond runway end

2% gradient (1 m per 50 m distance)

AAI mandatory

Transitional Surface

150–315 m lateral

Up to 45 m (increases at 14.3% rate)

AAI mandatory

Inner Horizontal Surface

Up to 4 km radius

~45 m AGL

AAI/CCZM local

Conical Surface

4–6.1 km

45–150 m (5% gradient)

AAI

Outer Horizontal Surface

6.1–15 km

Up to 150 m

AAI

Peripheral Zone

15–20 km

No height cap, but NOC still required

AAI

OLS Zone

Distance from Runway Strip

Max Permitted Height

NOC Authority

No Construction Zone (Runway Strip)

0–500 m

No construction at all

AAI

Approach/Takeoff Funnel

Beyond runway end

2% gradient (1 m per 50 m distance)

AAI mandatory

Transitional Surface

150–315 m lateral

Up to 45 m (increases at 14.3% rate)

AAI mandatory

Inner Horizontal Surface

Up to 4 km radius

~45 m AGL

AAI/CCZM local

Conical Surface

4–6.1 km

45–150 m (5% gradient)

AAI

Outer Horizontal Surface

6.1–15 km

Up to 150 m

AAI

Peripheral Zone

15–20 km

No height cap, but NOC still required

AAI

The single greatest trap in this market: the funnel zone. Along the 08/26 runway axis (roughly east-west), plots that appear to be comfortably away from the terminal building may sit directly in the approach or takeoff funnel. In this funnel, the permitted height equals 2% of the distance from the runway edge. A plot 500 m from the runway end is capped at just 10 m above ground level. That is a ground-plus-one-story building. TUDA approval on a layout does not override this. A building plan can pass through TUDA and still fail at AAI's NOCAS. The project gets denied an occupancy certificate, and the buyer inherits the violation.

The AAI has published a color-coded zoning map (CCZM) specifically for Tirupati Airport, available on the NOCAS portal. Use survey-grade GPS coordinates and the CCZM before committing to any plot within 15 km of the Renigunta runway strip.

Growth Corridors Near Tirupati Airport: Which Zones Reward Buyers and Which Trap Them

The airport-adjacent belt running from Renigunta through Korramenigunta toward Anjimedu holds the strongest short-term growth signal in Tirupati, driven by the Electronics Manufacturing Cluster, the IIT and IISER campuses at Yerpedu, and the expanded runway now handling wide-body aircraft. But this exact belt sits closest to the funnel zone, and speculative plots here are being marketed without disclosing the height ceiling.

The table below maps the key corridors by their approximate OLS position and real development risk:

Corridor / Locality

Approx. Distance from ARP

OLS Zone Likely

Growth Driver

Key Risk

Renigunta town / Anjimedu

1–3 km

Approach funnel, Inner Horizontal

Airport proximity premium

Severe height cap: possibly G+1 only

Korramenigunta

2–4 km

Inner Horizontal Surface

Electronics Cluster proximity

45 m cap triggers AAI review

Govindavaram / D-Mallavaram

4–6 km

Conical/Transitional

Airport road corridor

Height increases but NOC still mandatory

Yerpedu / IIT-IISER belt

6–10 km

Outer Horizontal

Education, tech employment

NOC needed, manageable height

Chandragiri / Mangalam

12–15 km

Peripheral zone

City connectivity, highway access

NOC required, no height cap

Corridor / Locality

Approx. Distance from ARP

OLS Zone Likely

Growth Driver

Key Risk

Renigunta town / Anjimedu

1–3 km

Approach funnel, Inner Horizontal

Airport proximity premium

Severe height cap: possibly G+1 only

Korramenigunta

2–4 km

Inner Horizontal Surface

Electronics Cluster proximity

45 m cap triggers AAI review

Govindavaram / D-Mallavaram

4–6 km

Conical/Transitional

Airport road corridor

Height increases but NOC still mandatory

Yerpedu / IIT-IISER belt

6–10 km

Outer Horizontal

Education, tech employment

NOC needed, manageable height

Chandragiri / Mangalam

12–15 km

Peripheral zone

City connectivity, highway access

NOC required, no height cap

The most misunderstood corridor is the Anjimedu-Renigunta stretch. Builders are marketing plots here as "5 minutes from airport" investment opportunities. What they omit: plots in the approach funnel may legally support only low-rise construction. Banks have begun refusing loans on projects without AAI height clearance, so buyers who purchase without an NOCAS check can find themselves holding land that cannot be financed for development. Before you sign a sale agreement for any plot within 10 km of Renigunta, request the seller's NOCAS application reference or commission your own licensed surveyor's site elevation certificate.