THE INDIAN TAKE-OFF

INDIA IS IN THE MIDST OF A MASSIVE AVIATION UPGRADE. CAN IT BECOME THE NEXT AIRPORT HUB LIKE DOHA, DUBAI, AND SINGAPORE?

- BY RICHA SHARMA

THE OPENING OF the two greenfield airports this December-the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) and the Noida International Airport (NIA)-could be a watershed moment in Indian aviation.

They are poised to grant Mumbai and Delhi a transformative twin-airport model, akin to Dubai's DXB-DWC, London's Heathrow-Gatwick, and New York's JFK-Newark, positioning them as a dual-hub ecosystem on the global aviation map.

Also, it's the first time since 2008 that two greenfield airports will be operationalised in the same year. The last time was Bengaluru and Hyderabad; the former is also getting ready to welcome a second airport to cater to the growing passenger numbers.

The new airports in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and the National Capital Region (NCR) will also enhance regional connectivity and complement the massive expansion plans of domestic airlines.

"With just 160 airports, India is already the third-largest aviation market. Imagine what will happen if the same growth continues. Aviation is booming in India and will continue to do so for the next two decades at least,” Sanjay Lazar, CEO, Avialaz Consultants, tells Business Today.

BIG DREAMS

A recent report by Knight Frank said that India’s air passenger traffic is projected to increase nearly 50%, from 412 million in the last financial year (FY25) to 600 million by FY30. The government plans to add another 50 airports by the end of this decade. The airlines, on their part, have an order book of around 1,500 aircraft, a source of ready demand for the new airport infrastructure. These airports are projected to attract an investment of ₹1 lakh crore by 2030.