The state-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI), which undertakes substantial capital expenditure each financial year, is set to introduce an online monitoring system to track the progress of its projects in real time, a senior official has said. Alongside developing and maintaining airports, AAI also provides air traffic management services.

According to the official, the digital monitoring platform — under development for the past year — will be rolled out in the coming weeks. The objective is to track work continuously and ensure there are no delays in implementation. The system will draw on CCTV feeds, drone-shot visuals, videos and other inputs to provide live updates on project progress.

AAI is currently executing around 25 projects at various airports, including major upgradation works, with each project involving capital expenditure between Rs 2 billion and Rs 5 billion. The civil aviation ministry’s annual report indicates that the authority is projected to have incurred more than Rs 64 billion in capital expenditure between 1 January 2024 and 31 March 2025.

AAI manages 137 airports across the country, including 24 international, 10 customs, 80 domestic and 23 domestic civil enclaves. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha in August, the civil aviation ministry stated that AAI and its public–private partnership (PPP) partners incurred more than Rs 960 billion in capital expenditure between 2019–20 and 2024–25 for airport development, upgradation and modernisation. India now has more than 160 operational airports.