Mumbai, March 12, 2026: The Infrastructure Today Conclave – Airports 2026, held at Courtyard by Marriott, brought together policymakers, infrastructure developers, financiers, engineers and technology providers to discuss the next phase of India’s aviation infrastructure growth.

The conclave focused on how India must move beyond building airports to creating integrated aviation ecosystems that combine connectivity, technology, sustainability and passenger experience.

Welcoming the delegates, Pratap Padode, Editor-in-Chief, Infrastructure Today, highlighted the rapid transformation underway in India’s aviation sector.

“India’s aviation sector is finally setting up for take-off. With low-cost airlines bringing millions of first-time flyers into the ecosystem and the UDAN scheme connecting smaller cities, aviation is becoming a mainstream mode of transport. The challenge before us is not just to build more airports, but to build smarter, more efficient and more passenger-centric infrastructure.”

Padode noted that India, now the world’s third-largest aviation market, currently operates around 164 airports, with projections indicating over 170 operational airports by 2029. However, a truly “super-connected India” may ultimately require nearly 400 airports, signalling enormous opportunities for infrastructure investment.

Highlighting the scale of growth, he pointed to a recent milestone where over 5.38 lakh domestic passengers travelled in a single day across more than 3,300 flights, underscoring the rapid rise in air travel demand.

Speaking on the airport project pipeline, Tanveer Padode, CEO, IMPACCT, presented insights into upcoming airport developments and investment opportunities across India.

“India currently has around 164 airports, with over 240 airport projects being tracked across various stages—from planning and tendering to execution. For suppliers, contractors and developers, the key is knowing when and where opportunities arise during the project lifecycle.”

He highlighted that IMPACCT now enables companies to track project pipelines, identify procurement opportunities and estimate demand for materials such as steel, cement and specialised equipment.

One of the standout upcoming projects discussed was the proposed Greenfield Airport at Great Nicobar Island, estimated at around Rs 8,500 crore, reflecting the scale of new aviation investments emerging across the country.

Delivering the keynote address on engineering in extreme terrains, Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhury, Former Director General, Border Roads Organisation, shared lessons from building strategic airfields in some of the world’s most challenging environments.

“Constructing airfields in high-altitude regions is not just an engineering challenge; it is a test of logistics, human endurance and precise planning. In such terrains, even breathing becomes difficult, so material management, workforce rotation and disciplined execution become critical.”

Throughout the day, panel discussions explored critical themes including financing airport infrastructure, scaling Tier-2 and Tier-3 airports, airport operations and passenger experience, and the role of airports as cargo and logistics hubs.

Experts discussed financing models such as public-private partnerships, hybrid structures and sustainability-linked financing, while also highlighting opportunities in non-aeronautical revenues including retail, real estate and cargo logistics.

The conclave concluded with discussions on how airports are evolving into integrated mobility hubs and commercial ecosystems, offering retail, hospitality and digital passenger services alongside aviation operations.

The event was supported by Silver Partner Pidilite, Innovation Partner Piramal Nextgen, Exhibit Partners Rockwool and esri India, and Business Intelligence Partner IMPACCT.

The Infrastructure Today Conclave is part of a broader initiative aligned with the vision of “Viksit Bharat @2047,” highlighting the role of modern infrastructure in enabling India’s long-term economic growth, connectivity and sustainability.