The expansion of the Airports/Airline network, in a way, signifies the demand, socio-economic development and growth of a particular region. As numerous employment opportunities, growth and brand of a country also lie in the Airline Industry, being International, care should be taken such that the growth happens organically. The country's brand image also lies in the Airline Sector as it caters to International Passengers and Communities.
In this story, we shall learn about the number of operational Airports in India, Air passenger traffic projections and the upcoming Greenfield Airports to cater for the growing Air Passenger Traffic in the country.
Air Passenger Traffic Projections in India:
As per an assessment made by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), all India total passenger traffic is expected to increase to around 827 million by the year 2032-2033 from 341 million during 2019-2020.
Operational Airports in India:
Currently, there are 141 operational airports in India, which includes 131 airports, 2 Water aerodromes and 8 Heliports. Expansion and development of airports is a continuous process and is undertaken by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) or the concerned airport operator from time to time depending upon commercial viability, traffic demand, availability of land etc.
Ministry of Civil Aviation has accorded 'in-principle' approval for setting up 21 Greenfield Airports across the country. In addition, the Government of India has also granted the first stage clearance i.e. site clearance for the construction of three Greenfield airports at Alwar in Rajasthan, Singrauli in Madhya Pradesh and Mandi in Himachal Pradesh.
Upcoming Greenfield Airports in India:
| Sl.No | Location | Airport | Comments |
| 1 | Goa | Mopa | |
| 2 | Navi Mumbai | Navi Mumbai | |
| 3 | Maharashtra | Shirdi | operationalised |
| 4 | Sindhudurg | operationalised | |
| 5 | Karnataka | Kalaburagi | operationalised |
| 6 | Vijayapura | ||
| 7 | Hassan | ||
| 8 | Shivamogga | ||
| 9 | Madhya Pradesh | Dabra (Gwalior) | |
| 10 | Uttar Pradesh | Kushinagar | operationalised |
| 11 | Noida (Jewar) | ||
| 12 | Gujarat | Dholera | |
| 13 | Hirasar (Rajkot) | ||
| 14 | Puducherry | Karaikal | |
| 15 | Andhra Pradesh | Dagadarthi (Nellore) | |
| 16 | Bhogapuram | ||
| 17 | Orvakal (Kurnool) | operationalised | |
| 18 | West Bengal | Durgapur | operationalised |
| 19 | Sikkim | Pakyong | operationalised |
| 20 | Kerala | Kannur | operationalised |
| 21 | Arunachal Pradesh | Hollongi (Itanagar) |
So far, out of total of 21 Greenfield airports, 8 Greenfield airports namely Durgapur, Shirdi, Sindhudurg, Pakyong, Kannur, Kalaburagi, Orvakal and Kushinagar have been operationalised.
Greenfield Airports that received First Stage Clearance:
| Sl.No | Location | Airport | Comments |
| 1 | Rajasthan | Alwar | Granted First Stage Clearance |
| 2 | Madhya Pradesh | Singrauli | |
| 3 | Himachal Pradesh | Mandi |
Conclusion:
Through this story, we tried to bring a clear picture about the current operational airports in India and the details of those upcoming greenfield airports. So, next time you fly via any of those new airports or come across a piece of news about the aiports, you will have a clear idea of the developments.
