Adani Group Plans To Expand Operations, Sets Sights On Acquiring More Airports Under Government’s Move For Airport Privatisation

Adani Airports, part of the Adani Group, plans to bid for additional airports in India, according to CEO Arun Bansal, signalling the company's ambition to become the top airport operator.

Adani Airports won bids to run six airports in the government's latest round of airport privatisation plan.

The CEO confirmed participating in the bidding for further airports as Indian government plans to privatise 12 more airports in the upcoming years, reports ET.

The Adani Group owns and operates seven airports in India, six of which have been transferred for 50 years under the privatisation project — namely Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram and Mangaluru.

The group took over the Mumbai International Airport from GVK Group in July 2021.

According to Bansal, Adani Airports plans to expand in India's aviation market by developing more airports, which includes the Navi Mumbai airport, which is expected to start operations in December 2024.

The group is constructing a 2,866 acre airport in Navi Mumbai, which is expected to handle 90 million passengers by 2036. The airport's first phase is being developed to handle 20 million passengers.

As per reports, the seven airports under the group experienced a notable surge in passenger traffic with a 92 per cent hike in domestic and 133 per cent rise in international travellers.

Further, the number of domestic and international flights has increased by 58 per cent and 61 per cent, respectively.

Several major airport developments are taking place in India with greenfield airports being built in the states of Karnataka, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh.

Further, the national capital region will be getting a new airport facility, with the upcoming Noida Airport designed by Zurich Airport International AG, with total passenger capacity expected to be 225 million.

"This is going to be the biggest airport in Asia”, as stated earlier by Arun Vir Singh, CEO of Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL).

The Centre plans to create 100 airports by 2024 through regional connectivity scheme (RCS)-UDAN — with plans to build greenfield airports in various parts of India over the next five years, including in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh.

India's aviation market aims to increase the number of airports as the government is expected to spend $12 billion over the coming years to enhance its airport infrastructure.

As per the ET report, private builders are set to invest about $9 billion into the greenfield projects, new terminals, and the renovation of pre-existing facilities, which include former military airfields from colonial times.

The expansion plans aims to create more opportunities for the aviation industry and enable better connectivity for passengers countrywide.