A lotus-inspired terminal design in Navi Mumbai International Airport. A terminal in a garden in Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport. A peacock-inspired canopy in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. A nature-inspired terminal in Guwahati’s Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport.

Truly, “India’s airports are no longer constrained by architectural ambition,” avers Ravikanth Mididhodi, Chief Technical Officer, J&F, a German-based engineering firm with over 25 years of global legacy in delivering advanced engineering and BIM services for airport infrastructure. However, he adds, “India’s airports are constrained by operational synchronisation.”

With the Udan scheme promising to add 170+ new airports through to 2029, questions arise on whether innovatively designed airport terminals have the capacity to meet growing passenger expectations and India’s need for space-and-energy-efficient, sustainable transportation, especially in the face of climate change...