Surat: The Airports Authority of India has refused to share data from a fresh obstacle survey around Surat airport under the RTI Act, citing third-party confidentiality, triggering concerns among citizens over public safety and property purchases.The issue arose after a Surat resident seeking to buy an apartment in the Vesu or Althan areas filed a Right to Information application in March, seeking details of the latest Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS) survey and a list of buildings classified as obstacles near the airport. The AAI had begun the OLS survey for Surat airport in Aug, well ahead of its scheduled timeline of Jan 2026, after the Ahmedabad plane crash. While the survey has since been completed, details of newly identified obstacles have not been made public. The previous OLS survey at Surat airport was conducted in 2022. In response to the RTI application, AAI’s public information officer denied access to the verified and officially recorded obstacle height data, citing “third party” confidentiality provisions under the RTI Act. Rajesh Modi, who has been closely monitoring OLS surveys over the past two decades, said the information has a direct bearing on public safety and citizens’ financial security. “I am thinking of buying a property in the area around the airport. It is Surat citizens’ hard-earned money, which should not be wasted due to the lack of an obstacle list. It is the right of people to know which buildings are classed as obstacles. That is the heart of the OLS, which takes place every three to four years,” he said. The first OLS survey at Surat airport was conducted in 2007. Subsequent surveys were held in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, after a controversy over alleged illegal constructions that surfaced in 2016. The most recent survey before the current one was carried out in 2022. The latest survey, due in Jan 2026, was advanced and launched in August 2025.
