Govt to Develop More Airstrips, Adjust Airport Rules

11 Jun 2024 CW Team

The Indian government is evaluating 300 airstrips for potential development into brownfield airports to enhance air connectivity, announced Aviation Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam at the CAPA India Aviation Summit 2024. This move aims to improve connectivity, particularly to Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. Currently, India has 453 airstrips, with 157 operational as airports.

The government is in the final stages of ratifying the Cape Town Convention (CTC), which will facilitate aircraft repossession by lessors, mitigating their risks. This step is critical after issues arose with repossessing planes from the bankrupt airline Go First.

India's airport ecosystem development plan spans 25 years, focusing on smaller airports feeding traffic to larger hubs. The number of operational airports has doubled in the last decade, and efforts are underway to expand this further. The government is also considering civil operations at more defence airfields to meet the growing demand in air travel.

Indian carriers have made significant aircraft orders to meet rising demand. Air India Group ordered 470 planes, IndiGo ordered 500 A320neo family planes, Akasa Air ordered 150 B737 Max aircraft, and IndiGo recently ordered 30 A350-900 widebody aircraft.

Domestic and international air traffic in India surpassed pre-pandemic levels in 2023-24, with international traffic reaching 69.7 million passengers and domestic traffic at 153.4 million passengers.

The government is also addressing airport regulations to ensure efficient operations and infrastructure development, aiming to meet the projected growth in air traffic and fleet expansion.

Infrastructure Urban

13 Jan 2026

Wockhardt Files EMA Application for Novel Antibiotic WCK 5222

Wockhardt has filed a Marketing Authorisation Application (MAA) with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for its novel antibiotic WCK 5222, marking a significant milestone in the company’s global regulatory journey. The application was submitted on January 5, 2026, positioning the drug for scientific evaluation across 27 European Union member states and three European Economic Area countries—Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein—covering a total of 30 nations.The EMA, which is responsible for the centralised assessment of new medicines in Europe, had earlier informed Wockhardt that WCK 5222 ..

NXP Launches UCODE X to Boost RAIN RFID Performance

NXP Semiconductors has announced UCODE X, a next-generation RAIN RFID chip offering industry-leading read and write sensitivity, flexible memory configurations and the lowest power consumption in its class. The solution supports smaller RAIN RFID labels, opening up new high-volume use cases across retail, logistics, healthcare and pharmaceuticals.The launch comes as global product traceability and consumer safety regulations continue to evolve, including the EU Digital Product Passport and the US FSMA 204 framework. UCODE X allows critical product data such as expiration dates, lot numbers and..

Sans Souci Unveils Clouds Collection Lighting

Sans Souci, known for its refined glass craftsmanship, has recently unveiled the Clouds Collection, a contemporary lighting series inspired by the ever-changing sky. Designed by Eliška Luhanová, the collection captures the soft, floating character of clouds, bringing a sense of calm and lightness to interior spaces. The collection reflects the warm hues of sunlight, the gentle glow of moonlight and subtle atmospheric colours. It features structured flat glass enhanced with an iridescent nanocoating, allowing light to pass through layered reflections that create depth, airiness and a soothin..