81 AAI Airports Record Rs 108.53 Billion Loss in 10 Years

14 Aug 2025 CW Team

Eighty-one airports operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) have collectively incurred losses of Rs 108.53 billion over the past 10 financial years, with 22 of these now non-operational. The figures were presented in the Rajya Sabha on 4 August by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol in response to a query from Congress MP Jebi Mather Hisam.

From 2015–2016 to 2024–2025, Safdarjung Airport in Delhi reported the highest losses at Rs 6.74 billion, followed by Agartala at Rs 6.05 billion, Hyderabad at Rs 5.65 billion, Dehradun at Rs 4.88 billion, and Vijayawada at Rs 4.84 billion. Other major loss-making airports include Bhopal (Rs 4.80 billion), Aurangabad (Rs 4.48 billion), Tirupati (Rs 3.64 billion), Khajuraho (Rs 3.56 billion), and Imphal (Rs 3.55 billion).

Safdarjung Airport, once the capital’s main airport, is no longer operational for commercial flights and is primarily used for ferrying VVIPs to Indira Gandhi International Airport.

The 22 airports that have ceased operations include Donakonda, Daparizo, Jogbani, Muzaffarpur, Raxaul, Deesa, Chakulia, Dhalbhumgarh, Khandwa, Panna, Shella, Aizawl, Thanjavur, Vellore, Nadirgul, Warangal, Kailashahar, Kamalpur, Khowai, Asansol, Balurghat, and Malda.

Mohol also highlighted the Regional Connectivity Scheme – Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN), launched on 21 October 2016 to improve air connectivity from unserved and underserved airports. The scheme offers Viability Gap Funding to airlines to offset the shortfall between operational costs and projected revenues. For FY 2025–2026, Rs 3 billion has been allocated to the programme.

Since inception, RCS-UDAN has operationalised 92 unserved and underserved airports, including 15 heliports and two water aerodromes, with financial incentives and concessions provided by central and state governments, Union territories, and airport operators to lower operational costs.

Infrastructure Transport

07 Apr 2026

Tunnelling Begins for Thane, Borivali twin tunnel project

Tunnelling work has commenced for the 11.84-km Thane–Borivali Twin Tunnel, set to be India’s longest urban road tunnel, marking a key milestone in Mumbai’s infrastructure development.As per a post shared by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority on social media platform X, the tunnel boring machine (TBM) ‘Nayak’—the country’s largest single-shield hard rock TBM for an urban tunnel—was launched by Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday. The event was attended by Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, among other dignitaries. A second TBM, ‘Arjuna’, is expected to be launched so..

Large Format Store Planned At M G Road Metro Station

M G Road station in Bengaluru is set to host the city’s first large-format commercial and experience space, with planning led by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited. BMRCL has invited proposals to develop and operate a central business district destination at the Purple?Pink Line interchange. The plan positions the station as a commercial hub designed to serve a broad commuter base across the city. The proposal is part of a broader effort to activate transit nodes commercially. Tender documents set a minimum monthly rental of Rs 0.944 million (mn), inclusive of GST, for the large-format..

Government Cancels Auction Of Eleven Critical Mineral Blocks

The government has cancelled the auction of 11 critical and strategic mineral blocks after receiving a poor investor response and failing to attract a sufficient number of qualified bidders. The decision represents a setback to plans to ramp up domestic exploration and production of critical minerals amid global supply chain disruptions and rising demand for materials used in clean energy and advanced technologies. The mines ministry issued an annulment notice setting out the reasons for the cancellations. The annulment notice indicated that the auction process for five mineral blocks was canc..