Aviation Push: Prime Minister Modi To Inaugurate 15 Airport Projects, Enhancing Capacities In Delhi, Lucknow, And Beyond

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate 15 airport projects, including new terminals in Delhi and Lucknow, on 10 March, sources familiar with the development said.

The Prime Minister is likely to lay the foundation of new terminals in Hubli, Kadappa, and Belgavi in Karnataka. He is also expected to inaugurate new airport terminals in Adampur, Punjab, and Pune, Maharashtra, sources said.

In Uttar Pradesh, the he is expected to inaugurate airport projects in Chitrakoot, Moradabad, Aligarh, Shravasti and Azamgarh, sources said. "India is going to get 1,500 planes in the next 10 years. The government is expanding the airports across the country so that they can handle the rising demand," a source cited by Business Standard said.

The PM will also inaugurate the expanded T1 terminal at the Delhi airport. The T1 terminal has been under expansion in parts since 2019. The new T1 terminal is expected to have aerobridges, which were absent in the old terminal.

The upcoming terminal will have a capacity of 40 million passengers per year, double that of the old terminal. The Delhi airport is run by the GMR Group-led Delhi International Airport Limited.

The Adani Group, which runs the Lucknow airport, has also built a new terminal. It would be handling about 13 million passengers per year, which is about three times that of the old terminal.

The investment will include building a new airport, expansion of existing ones and in allied infrastructure like Air Traffic Control.

The GMR owned Indira Gandhi International Airport at Delhi has been working on expanding capacity including bringing both T1C and T1D – previously separate sections for arrivals and departures under a single revamped Terminal 1.

The new terminal will double the airport’s capacity from 20 million to 40 million passenger handling capacity per year.

In the last 12 months, Air India, IndiGo and Akasa Air have placed an order for 1,120 aircraft. Indian airlines have an order book of 1,618 aircraft — 2.5 times the size of their existing fleet, according to aviation consultancy firm CAPA.

"This is the highest ratio anywhere in the world, reflecting the industry's optimism about future growth, " said CAPA .