India has big-city ambitions for its small airports.
Mint. “We see potential for at least 20-25 airports, including those in metros, to become hub airports," one of them said.
“While the metro airports are already at the scale of a hub airport, those in tier-2 and tier-3 cities such as Amritsar, Jaipur, Indore, Pune, Varanasi and Coimbatore have the potential to grow to a size over the next 20 years that will allow them to handle 15-17 million passengers a year." Indian airports handled 376.4 million passengers in 2023-24, 15% more than in the previous year, as per air traffic data from the Airports Authority of India. Delhi’s airport was the busiest, handling 73.7 million passengers, up 13% from FY23, while passenger traffic at Mumbai airport increased 20% to 52.8 million in FY24.
Bengaluru airport handled 37.5 million passengers, Cochin airport clocked 10.4 million, Pune 9.5 million, Varanasi and Amritsar around 3 million, and Coimbatore 2.9 million. Also read |Mint Explainer: What does it take to build an aviation hub? Pragya Priyadarshini, vice president at Primus Partners, a consulting services company, said the ministry’s plan augurs well for India’s aviation industry, and that the country’s location makes it an ideal transit point for global air traffic.
“This expansion aligns with the country’s rapidly increasing air travel demand, driven by a growing middle class and economic development," said Priyadarshini. “Successful implementation will require substantial investment in infrastructure, developing a skilled workforce, and collaboration between the government and the private sector to ensure long-term viability and competitiveness." Separately, the civil aviation ministry has also assessed more than 10 Indian cities where a second or third airport may be needed
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