Indian Airports

Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Thursday said six airports were leased out to the Adani group through a thorough, competitive and transparent process. State-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) has leased out six airports -- Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Mangaluru, Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram -- to the Adani group. While mentioning about the leasing out of these airports, Trinamool Congress leader Saugata Roy said in the Lok Sabha that Niti Aayog and the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) were of the view that two airports should not be given to the same entity. Naidu, however, said there was no fact in the member's statement. These are wild allegations and an empowered group of secretaries, headed by Niti Aayog CEO, where DEA secretary was also a member, was constituted, he said. A thorough process was followed for the leasing out of the airports, he said, adding when they (Niti Aayog CEO, DEA secretary) were members of the group, where does the point arise tha

Alongside strong cargo performance, he discussed rising Digi Yatra adoption among domestic travelers and the airport awaiting regulatory guidance to deploy full-body scanners

Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport is set to be a key hub for cutting-edge urban air mobility solutions with Sarla Aviation joining hands with the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) to launch electric flying taxis. Last month, the two entities signed a statement of collaboration to explore sustainable air mobility, specifically electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. This initiative, developed in Karnataka, aims to revolutionise air travel by introducing seven-seater electric flying taxis, which promise faster, cleaner, and more efficient transportation. While operations may still be two to three years away, Sarla Aviation's electric taxis promise a cleaner, quieter, and more cost-effective alternative to traditional helicopter services previously offered in Bengaluru. The Bengaluru-based company, co-founded by Adrian Schmidt, Rakesh Gaonkar and Shivam Chauhan, is at the forefront of this transformation. Sarla Aviation plans to focus on four

NMIAL will be the second airport to serve the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and will have a capacity of handling 20 million passengers in the first two phases of operations

The government has roped in the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) to advise airport operators on the structural aspects of airports, according to a senior official. The move comes against the backdrop of the collapse of a canopy at the old departure forecourt of Terminal 1 (T1) at the Delhi airport in June. During the same month, there were also similar incidents at Jabalpur and Rajkot airports. Following the Delhi airport incident, the ministry decided to conduct a study of the structural aspects of T1 while state-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) was asked to carry out an inspection of the structural strength of all minor and major airports. The senior civil aviation ministry official told PTI that Roorkee-based CBRI has been roped in for advising airport operators on the various structural aspects of the airports. The ministry is also planning to organise a technical workshop by CBRI for the airport operators. The official said the ministry is examining the repor

Adani Airports Holdings Ltd, the Adani group firm that operates seven airports in the country, has launched 'aviio' digital platform to provide passengers real-time data on variety of airport accesses - from wait times to gate change and bags on belt. Aviio aspires to bring the aviation community together to collaborate and serve passengers better, a top official said. By enabling airport stakeholders to access real-time data, passengers can expect easier access to airport information in the form of updates related to security checks, wait times, gate change and bags on belt, among other aspects, he said. With this path-breaking initiative, AAHL, a subsidiary of Adani group's flagship Adani Enterprises Ltd, aims to serve the aviation community and set new standards for airport operations management and passenger experience. With seven operational airports in its stable, and one more expected to go live during the middle of 2025, this platform for B2B services has been conceptualise

Private equity player GQG Partners has hiked its stake in GMR Airports Infrastructure to 5.17 per cent by snapping up additional shares worth over Rs 433 crore through open market transactions. GQG Partners, also a key investor in Adani Group, purchased 0.43 per cent stake in GMR Airports Infrastructure on August 23, according to a regulatory filing on Wednesday. Prior to the transactions, GQG Partners held a 4.74 per cent shareholding in the company. Through its affiliates, Fort Lauderdale-based asset management firm GQG Partners acquired an additional 0.43 per cent or over 4.52 crore shares. At the closing price of Rs 95.85 apiece on August 23, the shares are worth more than Rs 433 crore. Earlier, GQG Partners held 7.66 per cent stake in the company but due to corporate actions, the shareholding reduced below 5 per cent, as per the filing. "On August 23, 2024, the acquirer and PACs (Persons Acting in Concert) acquired further shares of the company, resulting in their shareholdin

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has conveyed his government's concern to the Centre over airlines shifting their operations from the old international airport at Dabolim to the new one in Mopa in Pernem taluka which became functional early last year. Sawant raised the concern during a meeting with Union Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu in New Delhi, an official statement said here on Thursday. The statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said Sawant, accompanied by his cabinet colleagues, including Mauvin Godinho (transport) and Rohan Khaunte (tourism), interacted with Naidu and junior civil aviation minister Murlidhar Mohol. Civil aviation secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam and Airports Authority of India (AAI) chairman M Suresh were also present at the meeting in the national capital. The statement said the CM raised concern over the shifting of operations by airlines from the Dabolim aerodrome in South Goa to the Manohar International Airport (MIA) at Mopa, located ..

Customs and DRI officers have seized 847 kg of gold worth Rs 544 crore at various airports in the three months of the current fiscal till June, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday. In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Sitharaman gave details of gold seizure cases at airports and seaports by Customs field formations and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) from FY 2021-22 to FY 2024-25. In FY25, up to June 2024, 847.43 kg of gold was seized in 1,282 cases. The value of seized gold is Rs 543.61 crore. In the 2023-24 fiscal, there were 5,962 cases of seizure at airports with 3,714 kg of gold worth Rs 2,081 crore getting seized. In 2022-23, seizure of 2,776 kg of gold worth Rs 1,382 crore was made. In 2021-22, about 1,240 kg of gold worth Rs 572 crore was seized at the airports. The minister said Customs field formations are regularly sensitised to newer methods of smuggling. "On detection of gold smuggling cases, action is taken in accordance wi

Major airports in India have raised their user development fees, aimed to cover revenue gaps but adding to the financial burden on travellers since the beginning of FY25

Indian airports need to review their pricing strategies and can substantially increase their profitability by garnering more non-aeronautical revenues, according to aviation consultancy firm CAPA India. India is the world's third largest domestic civil aviation market and air traffic is on the rise. Airlines are increasing their fleet, operating more routes while airports are also expanding their capacities. Airports operated on Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode generate more non-aero revenues compared to those operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the consultancy said during a webinar on Thursday. Just five PPP airports -- Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Cochin -- accounted for 71 per cent of the total non-aeronautical revenue in India in FY2020, while handling 53 per cent of the total traffic, CAPA India said. Despite significant increases since privatisation, Indian PPP airports still have much more headroom to increase non-aero revenue to global levels,

SriLankan Airlines is currently operating about 80 flights per week between Colombo and 11 cities in India

Country's 6 leading airports see near doubling of foreign transit traffic in a year

Noida International Airport on Friday said it has entered into a concession agreement with the Bird Group to provide ground-handling resources and services at the upcoming airport in Jewar, Uttar Pradesh. The strategic partnership will ensure efficient and seamless ground-handling activities at the airport, enhancing the overall passenger experience, the airport said. The greenfield project is located 75 km off Delhi along the Yamuna Expressway and is expected to open for commercial services after the first phase of development by the end of this year, according to officials. The first phase of the airport, featuring one runway and one terminal, will have the capacity to handle traffic of 12 million passengers annually. Upon completion of all four development phases, the airport will be able to cater to 70 million passengers per year, they said. Under the agreement, Bird Group will take on an extensive set of responsibilities for the ground handling project. This entails a ...

Digi Yatra is likely to be rolled out at 14 more airports by the end of this month and efforts are on to make the facility more user friendly with certain changes in the architecture, according to a top executive. Based on Facial Recognition Technology (FRT), Digi Yatra provides for contactless, seamless movement of passengers at various check points at airports and currently, there are nearly 5 million users. The facility is now there at 14 airports for domestic passengers and discussions are ongoing with various stakeholders concerned to make it available for international travellers as well. Digi Yatra Foundation CEO Suresh Khadakbhavi told PTI that Digi Yatra is expected to be available at 14 more airports by the end of April. A not-for-profit entity, the foundation is the nodal agency for Digi Yatra, which was introduced in December 2022. The 14 new airports where the facility is to be rolled out soon are Bagdogra, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Dabolim, Indore

AAI Chairman Sanjeev Kumar said the AAI's capex in 2023-24 stood at Rs 5,250 crore. It was a bit higher than the capex of 2022-23, which stood at Rs 5,175 crore

India has "incredibly affordable" airfares and the country's aviation market has the kind of growth potential where Akasa Air as well as other carriers can do well, according to the nearly two-year-old airline's chief Vinay Dube. As Akasa Air prepares to take the international skies on March 28 with the first overseas flight from Mumbai to Doha, Dube also asserted that the airline is not about "marketing gimmicks". Akasa Air is aiming to be among the world's top 30 airlines by 2030 and will go public in future. "We think we have a great financial future. Listing is in our future... but you never say never. We hope to list some day," he told PTI in an interview this week. While acknowledging that aviation competition has always been intense, he said that as long as the focus is on fundamentals, there is enough room not just for Akasa Air to thrive in the future but for others as well. "Thanks to the growth that we are going to see in India, it is not that Akasa will do well only if

The PM is likely to lay the foundation of new terminals in Hubli, Kadappa, Belgavi in Karnataka, Adampur in Punjab, and Pune in Maharashtra

The number of people with disability and reduced mobility travelling by air has gone up over the years