Independence Day 2022: Planning big moves to develop airport infra, says AAI

Celebrating the 75th Independence Day and India’s overall success in all sectors, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said that they are planning some big moves in an attempt to develop the airport infrastructure and air connectivity in the country. 

“Expansion works of airports, improvement, and enhancement of facilities on the air side, increasing the ATC strength and equipment will need a lot of funding,” AAI chairman Sanjeev Kumar told ANI.  

Earlier this month, a report by the Committee of Estimates of the Civil Aviation Ministry tabled in the Lok Sabha highlighted that around 10 operational airports of the total 109 are generating revenues for the institution. There are 136 airports managed by AAI, of which only 109 are operational.  

The profitable airports in FY2021 mentioned in the report are Port Blair, Visakhapatnam, Patna, Kandla, Porbandar, Srinagar, Pune, Juhu, Kanpur Chakeri, and Bagdogra. It mentioned that all the others were “running in losses”. 

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The report mentioned a few recommendations to bring about a change in the system. It has emphasised aspects like “technological solutions to bring efficiency at reduced costs in a time-bound manner”. 

Besides, the committee has urged the government to look into the land availability issue, which is a huge hurdle in the growth of the aviation sector. 

The report has urged the Ministry of Civil Aviation to develop a few more greenfield airport projects, like Jewar and Navi Mumbai airports to ease the heavy passenger volume. 

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Earlier in the day, PM Narendra Modi said India’s “techade” is here and the government is largely focusing on 5G technology, semiconductor manufacturing, and optical fibre cables. 

He added that the country’s flagship Digital India movement along with the tech revolution will bring about significant changes in sectors like education and health.