AAI selects 150 small airports, airstrips for modernization to meet air cargo demand by leveraging existing infra
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. As part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government’s objective of growing India’s civil aviation sector, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has selected 150 small airports and airstrips to modernize and develop, to cater to the increasing air cargo and passenger traffic demand, said two people aware of the development.
These airports have been picked from among the over 400 airports and airstrips within the country, most of which are barely operational, under directions from the top level in the government to leverage the existing aviation infrastructure. These include Aizawl, Kota, Muzaffarpur, Satna, Ziro, Jalgaon, Asansol, Malda, Jharsuguda, Khandwa, Panna, Raxaul, Vellore, Tezu, Agatti, Akola, Belgaum, Cooch-Behar, Gaya, Gorakhpur, Hubli, Kolhapur, Kandla, Kullu, Pantnagar and Rajahmundry, among others.
These new airports will be primarily used for air cargo to ship products such as pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics and perishables that rely on swift delivery in the backdrop of disruption in the traditional trade routes and geopolitical tensions. The modernization plan, which will be implemented solely by the AAI, involves adding longer runways and other amenities, along with digital technologies.
The small airports and airstrips modernisation programme also comes in the backdrop of a perceptible shift towards air cargo, supported by rising shipping costs due to delays, increased insurance premiums, and the heightened risk of goods being damaged or seized during transit. “Under the modernisation plan, in addition to creating passenger facilities in line with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, infrastructure for cargo handling will be
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