On the runway: GMR's ₹14,000 cr capex plan for Hyderabad airport

GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL) has drawn up a capital expenditure plan of nearly ₹14,000 crore to be implemented by 2030-31 (FY31) for a major expansion of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Telangana's capital city, Business Standard has learnt.

- DEEPAK PATEL

The plan includes enhancing the capacity of the existing terminal, constructing a new terminal and second runway, improving road access and metro connectivity, and scaling up parking and cargo infrastructure to meet rising demand.

Hyderabad airport — India's fourth largest — has witnessed rapid growth over recent years, with passenger traffic increasing from 18.3 million in FY18 to 29.5 million in FY25, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.1 per cent. This growth, GHIAL noted, has brought the airport close to its current design capacity of 34 million passengers per annum (mppa), necessitating urgent upgrades.

GHIAL, in an internal document, has proposed expanding the existing terminal to handle 47 mppa (from the current 34 mppa) and beginning construction of a new terminal with an additional 20 mppa capacity in the northern precinct. These upgrades will be supported by a second runway and an elevated cross-taxiway connecting the two terminals.

Given the nearly three-year construction timeline for a new terminal and runway, work on the northern side is proposed to begin by FY27 to ensure readiness by September 2029. The new terminal's expansion will be executed in modular phases depending on traffic triggers, according to the document reviewed by Business Standard.

The new 3,800-metre runway would be equipped with a Category-I Instrument Landing System, which allows aircraft to land safely even in low-visibility conditions. It will also include advanced navigation aids such as PAPI (precision approach path indicators that help pilots maintain the correct approach angle) and SMR (surface movement radar used to track aircraft and vehicles on the ground). The crosstaxiway, designed to handle wide-body aircraft, will be elevated over the airport's main access road and will span 650 metres, linking the northern and southern airfields, GHIAL noted.