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.

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