The civil aviation industry is seeing a steady growth in terms of passenger and cargo traffic. This is being facilitated by the creation of greenfield facilities as well as capacity expansions at existing airports. In addition, there is a focus on inducting technology and ensuring environmental sustainability.
The total number of working civil airports increased from 74 in 2014 to 149 in 2023.
The target is to increase this to over 200 by 2030. This would improve regional connectivity through UDAN-RCS. By 2030, around 300 million passengers will use India’s airports – twice as many as in 2023.
There are a total of 21 greenfield projects, of which 12 are already operational. The biggest are, of course, the two mega greenfield airport projects. Navi Mumbai International Airport in Maharashtra will ease traffic congestion in the key Mumbai-Pune metro/industrial belt and Noida International Airport (NIA) in Uttar Pradesh will cater to demand in the NCR and surrounding areas.
These airports are being built with sustainability in mind, using renewable energy and rainwater harvesting systems, etc. There is also an emphasis on creating dedicated storage and fuelling facilities for sustainable aviation fuel.
Apart from these, major expansion and upgrades are in progress at other major airports such as Lucknow, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. These are being undertaken with sustainability as a key factor. Delhi International Airport has already achieved 95 per cent of its target of becoming zero carbon by 2030, and it meets all of its electricity needs through renewables.
Technology induction has enhanced passenger management with paperless entry and security procedures, as well as gadgets such as smart trolleys (in Hyderabad) that read QR codes and guide passengers.
On the cargo side, the target is to raise transhipment by air to around 10 million tonnes per year by 2030 – over three times the current capacity. However, there is a gap in terms of technology usage on the cargo side, where it is far less advanced as compared to the passenger side. For example, cargo terminals have inadequate cold storage capacity. Operators and cargo terminals are now addressing the need for technology upgrades on a priority basis by devising and implementing systems that use refrigerated
dollies for cold storage goods, as well as leveraging internet of things, machine learning and data analytics solutions to monitor cargo. Incidentally, every technology upgrade also necessitates reskilling of the workforce, especially on the cargo-handling side. This will enhance the capacity to carry time-sensitive, delicate goods like electronics, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, which demand careful handling and fast delivery.
The industry is also exploring the opportunity to transform India into a maintenance, repair and overhaul hub, wherein the country’s geographical position on important trade routes and its skilled, technical workforce could be leveraged. The success of the UDAN scheme and the increasing passenger traffic at metro airports indicate that traffic growth could exceed expectations.
Ideally, design and planning should be done long term, keeping in mind the potential for expansion. Environmental sustainability is critical, and airports should also be conceptualised with profitability in mind. “Cityside” development and real estate monetisation should be integral to the design process.