Mumbai’s main airport sits right in the middle of the suburbs. Planes take off and land over Vile Parle, Santacruz, Andheri East, Kurla, Ghatkopar and parts of Bandra and Chembur. For aircraft safety, buildings around the airport cannot rise above certain heights. For housing societies in these areas, that ceiling often matters more than any FSI rule.
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How the height limit works
- The Airports Authority of India (AAI) sets the maximum permissible height for every location around the airport, based on flight paths and safety surfaces.
- These limits are shown on Colour Coded Zoning Maps. Locations directly under the approach and take-off paths, called the funnel zone, have the strictest limits.
- The height is measured above mean sea level, so a plot’s ground level matters too.
- Most projects near the airport need a height NOC from AAI, applied for online, before BMC approves the plans.
Why it changes the whole deal
Redevelopment works by building more area than exists today: rehab area for members, plus sale area for the developer. In most of Mumbai, the extra area goes up as more floors. Near the airport, if the building cannot rise beyond, say, eight or ten floors, the plot may not be able to use all the FSI and TDR it is entitled to on paper. That leads to:
- Less sale area, so lower offers for members
- Wider, squatter buildings that use more of the plot
- Parking pushed into basements rather than podiums, adding cost
- Unusable development potential that may need to be handled through other routes
Watch out for these mistakes
- Offers that ignore the ceiling. A developer may promise a large area based on FSI, then come back later asking to cut it once the AAI NOC is in. Ask every bidder to confirm the offer is based on the AAI height for your plot.
- Assuming the neighbour’s height applies to you. Limits change from plot to plot, even on the same road.
- Forgetting rooftop structures. Water tanks, lift machine rooms and antennas also count towards the height.
How to plan
- Get the permissible height for your plot checked by an architect, using AAI’s maps and site coordinates, before calling tenders.
- Make sure the feasibility report shows how much area can really be built within that height.
- Consider combining with a neighbouring plot. A bigger footprint can recover area lost to the height limit.
- Put the AAI NOC in the agreement as a condition, with what happens if the final height differs.
Many societies near the airport have been redeveloped successfully. The ones that do best are those that start with the height limit and plan around it, rather than discovering it halfway through.
Society near the airport? Mungekar Realty prepares realistic feasibility reports for societies across Mumbai, including those under airport height limits. Call 98207 44734 or visit mungekarrealty.com.
This article is general information. Height limits are set by AAI for each location and may be revised; consult an architect for your plot.