The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is poised for significant expansion, as outlined by Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia.
The ambitious plan entails elevating the number of airports, heliports, and aerodromes under AAI’s purview from the current 157 to a robust 200 within the next five years. Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia, The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is poised for significant growth and profitability, riding favourable tailwinds in the coming years, Union Minister for Civil Aviation and Steel, Jyotiraditya Scindia, said at the 29th AAI Annual Day. “AAI will be the most profitable and ahead of all PSUs in the coming years,” Scindia said. “We aim to expand from 157 airports, heliports and aerodromes to 200 in the next five years.”
AAI has earmarked a capital expenditure (capex) of ₹30,000 crore for the next five years, exceeding the ₹25,000 crore allocated for the period 2019-20 to 2024-25. This figure is part of a larger National Infrastructure Pipeline that allocates ₹91,000 crore for airport development, including public-private partnership (PPP) projects. AAI Chairman, Sanjeev Kumar, highlighted the organisation’s achievements in FY24. “We had a stellar performance in FY24,” Kumar said. “We surpassed our capex target of ₹5,250 crore, exceeding the previous year’s figure of ₹5,175 crore.”
The authority also achieved record-breaking revenue and profit. “We are likely to achieve a turnover of ₹15,000 crore, which is the highest ever, with a profit before tax (PBT) of ₹5,000 crore, also the highest ever,” Kumar added. This growth strategy, articulated by Scindia, encompasses both financial performance and physical infrastructure augmentation. In the fiscal year 2023-24, AAI achieved notable milestones by operationalising 20 key infrastructure projects. Noteworthy among these were the inauguration of a new greenfield international airport in Rajkot, along with airports in Ayodhya, Aligarh, and several other cities across the country.
Looking ahead, AAI’s expansion trajectory includes the development of new greenfield airports in Dolo (Assam), Kota (Rajasthan), and a civil enclave in Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh). Notably, sustainability forms a crucial component of AAI’s agenda, with 67 airports already powered by green energy. AAI aims to enhance energy efficiency further across its network, demonstrating a commitment to environmental stewardship alongside infrastructure development. Asangba Chuba Ao, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, emphasised the importance of efficiency and customer service. “We are in a competitive environment where passengers will raise complaints if there is inconvenience,” Ao said adding “Hence, AAI needs to ensure efficiency. Effectiveness and promptness must increase, and I am sure AAI will achieve greater heights.”
