Indian Airport Infrastructure Under Stress

The number of passengers in the Indian domestic air travel market is growing at a remarkable rate every year, putting the existing airport infrastructure under stress. According to government agency Germany Trade and Invest, India is currently upgrading 100 airports to increase capacity around the country while simultaneously building 100 more brand-new airports.

The number of air passengers in the Indian domestic segment has almost doubled in four years to 345 million for the fiscal year of 2018/19 (ends in March 2019). Delhi airport, for example, saw 70 million passengers in 2018/19 and was expected to hit its capacity of 75 million this fiscal year. Works started back in August to increase the number of planes and passengers that can pass through the airport.

New airports are currently being built or about to start construction in Rourkela in Odisha, Hirasar in Gujarat as well as in Sindhudurg in Maharashtra and Mopa (both near Goa), among others. Construction is also underway for two satellite airports, one outside of Mumbai and another in Jewar in Uttar Pradesh. The latter will also take some pressure off Indira Gandhi airport in Delhi, currently the busiest in the country, in addition to serving Noida.