The Airports Authority of India (AAI) adopts an integrated approach to airside, terminal and landside development. Commercial viability, sustainability, uninterrupted passenger growth and timely project delivery are some of the key priorities. AAI also places strong emphasis on carbon neutrality. Further, all airport planning is aligned with Vision 2047. In this regard, AAI has laid out an airport master plan up to 2047, outlining mid-term, near-term and long-term development.
At a recent India Infrastructure conference, Anil Kumar Gupta, Member (Planning), AAI, shared the authority’s perspective on airport planning and design. He also highlighted efforts to accelerate construction, the role of technology and sustainability, and the key challenges faced. Edited excerpts…
Airports in India have been planned in alignment with both passenger traffic and aircraft fleet size. In the past 20 years, passenger numbers have more than tripled. As per industry estimates, passenger traffic is estimated to grow around 2-3 per cent higher than the country’s GDP growth, at around 9 per cent annually, to reach over 1.1 billion by 2040. Moreover, the country’s aircraft fleet is expected to reach almost 3,000 aircraft by 2044.
AAI’s planning philosophy and design principles primarily focus on airports and terminals that are scalable and modular to accommodate traffic growth in the future. This is essential because traffic growth over the next 10-15 years is uncertain. For example, terminals that were designed for two flight movements per hour are handling four to six movements.
Planning is also carried out in line with the International Civil Aviation Organisation, Directorate General of Civil Aviation and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security regulations for safety and seamless operations.
Further, passengers form the core of any airport planning. Terminal layouts are designed to optimise passenger dwell time by facilitating quick check-in, baggage handling and efficient movement to security hold areas.
Beyond operational considerations, AAI focuses on the economic impact since airports act as catalysts for regional growth. For example, the upcoming Jewar airport has positively impacted the regional economy even before commencing operations, as seen in improved connectivity projects and appreciation in land prices.
Beyond operational considerations, AAI focuses on economic impact since airports act as catalysts for regional growth.”
Key requirements
The key requirements in airport planning and design are anchored around the provision of adequate capacity, non-negotiable safety and satisfactory passenger services. Safety requirements are largely on the operational side, including obstacle limitation surface clearances, firefighting facilities and air traffic control. Further, the passenger service level, which is a paramount requirement, is taken into consideration while designing all subcomponents of the airport.
This underscores the importance of landside planning and connectivity. To this end, airports collaborate with state governments to provide multimodal connectivity. Many state capitals now have metro connectivity and airports are being designed to ensure connectivity to these networks.
AAI has also decided that service level agreements (SLAs) will be followed when airports are awarded to concessionaires under public-private partnerships, ensuring that passengers receive optimal service.
Fast-tracking construction
Airport projects today are required to be executed at an accelerated pace, often with short timelines. For example, the upcoming Kota airport, for which the foundation stone was recently laid, has a timeline of two years. A combination of good planning, a good execution team and good contractors is essential to meet these expectations.
Clear expectations from both within and outside the government indicate fast project delivery and AAI is committed to it. Moreover, the benefits of capital expenditure must be made available to passengers at the earliest.
AAI has adopted several new techniques and initiatives to expedite airport construction. Currently, many modular components are fabricated off-site and assembled on-site. Pre-engineered buildings (PEBs) are being used for construction and façades are being built outside. This ensures that once structural works are completed, the other components can be executed in a seamless and quick manner. The engineering, procurement and construction approach has also helped in reducing the time frame by ensuring concurrent progress. For example, while foundation works are under way, contractors concurrently work on the design of the roof and other components.
Moreover, phased commissioning has been carried out where parts of a terminal or a runway have been commissioned while old terminals are still functional.
Role of technology
Technology plays a key role across the planning, construction and operational phase of AAI airports. Forecasting is carried out with historical data to analyse growth and correlation with the GDP. Forecasting and simulation tools, which were earlier used only for managing aircraft parking, are now being used to predict passenger flow both within the terminal and on the landside.
Technological integration has also enhanced capacity by enabling the identification of problem areas. It has also enhanced operational efficiency through self-check-in kiosks, biometric systems and automatic tray retrieval systems, among others.
Building information modelling (BIM) has been in use over the past five to six years. While the digital twin level is yet to be reached, BIM-generated drawings and clash-free models are being widely utilised. This is also becoming a requirement for stakeholders including contractors and subvendors.
AAI recently released a BIM-based project monitoring platform. All projects across the country can be monitored through a high-level dashboard available as both a web-based and mobile-based application enabling both the financial and physical monitoring of a project. While the current mandate is to monitor projects that cost more than Rs 1.5 billion, all projects would ultimately be onboarded.
Integrating sustainability
Sustainability lies at the core of any airport design, with all airports planned to be sustainable right from the planning stage. This includes making all airports Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) 5 star rated, and promoting water treatment, water reuse and sewage treatment plants. Emphasis is also placed on renewable energy integration, particularly solar power. Airports are both generating power in-house and purchasing it from vendors. Terminals also feature energy-efficient heating, ventilation and air-conditioning designs, LED lighting and use of low-carbon materials to ensure minimum impact on the environment.
Focus on regional connectivity
Since its inception, the regional connectivity scheme, Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (RCS UDAN), has operationalised 95 aerodromes and 663 routes, and witnessed over 340,000 flights. More than Rs 47 billion has been spent on the development of aerodromes and a viability gap funding of almost Rs 46 billion has been disbursed to airlines as of February 28, 2026. The scheme has provided an impetus to various airlines and smaller players.
It has also boosted traffic in Tier I airports, driven by increasing passenger flow from Tier II and Tier III cities. There is increasing demand for connectivity to state capitals and other major hubs, rather than for connectivity within the state as passengers seek to save time and avoid multiple flights.
Moreover, the Union Budget 2025-26 announced UDAN 2.0, which is expected to drive investments of about Rs 200 billion-Rs 300 billion over the next 10 years.
Challenges remain
AAI continues to face several challenges in the planning and development stages, with land acquisition remaining the biggest challenge. While support is received from the state government for land acquisition, obtaining environmental clearance for airport projects is a challenge. Many upcoming airports are located in regions with rich habitation and vegetation, like those planned at Greater Nicobar and Agati. Addressing such ecological challenges is time consuming, with the added gestation period of eight to nine months for the environmental clearance process.
Traffic volatility also stands to be a major challenge that complicates the airport planning process. Often, terminals that are designed with the expectation to sustain demand for the next 10 years become saturated within three years.
There is also a trade-off between overbuilding, which leads to additional costs, and underbuilding, which can turn an airport into a chronic construction zone. However, proper use of technology can help mitigate this challenge.
Future outlook
AAI is working closely with the central and state governments to develop both greenfield and brownfield airport projects. AAI is also expected to play a key role in the upcoming UDAN 2.0 scheme. The investment of around Rs 46 billion under the original scheme over the past five to seven years is expected to double under UDAN 2.0.
Moreover, the total number of airports is targeted to reach 350-400 by 2047, with an interim target of 220 airports by 2029. Further, a renewed focus on sustainability and smart airport initiatives is expe
“BIM has been in use over the past five to six years. While the digital twin level is yet to be reached, BIM-generated drawings and clash-free models are being widely utilised.”
