Page 28 - AAA SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2013 Online Magazine

FEATURE INdIAN AIRPORTS

capacity challenge

India has too many people flying up above, and too few resolutions to the problem of
handling them once they get back on the ground. By Jay Menon

WITh ThE FASTEST-GROWING NUmbER that the country is currently underprepared
of airline passengers in the world, the to meet these challenges and will need
Indian aviation sector is seeing a rapid a plan for massive investment of up to
increase in its capacity requirement. US$40 billion in airport development by
However, underinvestment in the Indian 2025,” says aviation consultancy firm
airports network has resulted in massive Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA).
infrastructure gaps, leaving several At present India has 454 operational
expectations unfulfilled. and non-operational airports/airstrips,
Passenger traffic in India is expected with the Airports Authority of India (AAI)
to grow to 452 million by 2020–21 from operating 125 airports: 14 international
145 million in 2012–13, and the scheduled airports, 80 domestic airports, 12 custom
airlines’ fleet is expected to expand to airports and 19 other civil enclaves.
1,030 aircraft from around 450 in the same The Indian government has proposed
period, making it the world’s third largest 60 airports in total, which includes
ABOVE: India’s airport
privatisations have been hit aviation market after the US and China. two international airports, 50 low-cost
by repeated cost and time “This rate of growth will require airports and eight greenfield airports.
overruns, resulting in huge investment in airport and other “Indian aviation is set for
significant loss of revenue infrastructure, but our analysis indicates transformational growth,” says Kapil
28 ASIAN AIRLINES & AIRPORTS SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013 WWW.ASIANAIRLINES-AIRPORTS.COM