New Delhi: In a thrust to airport infrastructure in line with the fast pace of passenger traffic growth over the past couple of years, the government has envisaged development of 175 civilian airports to take the total number of operational airports up to 250 from 75 at present, at an estimated investment of up to Rs 3 lakh crore in the next 10-15 years. These estimates have been prepared by the Ministry of Civil Aviation after analysis of traffic trends over the years and projected growth over a decade-and-a-half.
Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said these estimates do not include the cost that will be incurred on acquisition of land. Most of the investment is likely to come from the private sector, even as the state-owned Airports of Authority of India (AAI) will play a key role in development. The Budget 2017-18 announced government’s plans to monetise AAI’s land bank of around 55,000 acres, and the funds generated from this exercise will be used to modernise existing airports and build new ones.
Domestic passenger traffic of India has grown to nearly 10 crore in the year so far, growing over 23 per cent year-on-year, making India the third-largest aviation market after the US and China. With major airports in Mumbai and Chennai bursting at the seams, lack of airport infrastructure is being seen as a major hurdle in the way of smooth expansion. Sinha said the government’s strategy to deal with the burgeoning traffic is threefold: Streamline and modernise existing terminals, build new terminals at existing airports and develop greenfield airports.
“We have been doing very detailed and thorough planning on a city-by-city level for airport capacity. Of course, passenger traffic in India has been growing dramatically and in the last three years since our government came in, it has almost doubled. And that really means that we have to be able to ensure sufficient airport and adequate airport capacity. Now when you look at airport capacity, you have to look at it really in three categories,” Sinha said in an interview with The Indian Express.
08/02/17 Sunny Verma/Indian Express
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Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said these estimates do not include the cost that will be incurred on acquisition of land. Most of the investment is likely to come from the private sector, even as the state-owned Airports of Authority of India (AAI) will play a key role in development. The Budget 2017-18 announced government’s plans to monetise AAI’s land bank of around 55,000 acres, and the funds generated from this exercise will be used to modernise existing airports and build new ones.
Domestic passenger traffic of India has grown to nearly 10 crore in the year so far, growing over 23 per cent year-on-year, making India the third-largest aviation market after the US and China. With major airports in Mumbai and Chennai bursting at the seams, lack of airport infrastructure is being seen as a major hurdle in the way of smooth expansion. Sinha said the government’s strategy to deal with the burgeoning traffic is threefold: Streamline and modernise existing terminals, build new terminals at existing airports and develop greenfield airports.
“We have been doing very detailed and thorough planning on a city-by-city level for airport capacity. Of course, passenger traffic in India has been growing dramatically and in the last three years since our government came in, it has almost doubled. And that really means that we have to be able to ensure sufficient airport and adequate airport capacity. Now when you look at airport capacity, you have to look at it really in three categories,” Sinha said in an interview with The Indian Express.
08/02/17 Sunny Verma/Indian Express
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