Parliament Question: Aviation infrastructure expansion and emerging airport ecosystem

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 1768 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 9th March 2026 AVIATION INFRASTRUCTURE EXPANSION AND EMERGING AIRPORT ECOSYSTEM 1768. SHRI ADITYA PRASAD SHRI S. SELVAGANABATHY SHRI ASHOKRAO SHANKARRAO CHAVAN SHRI SHAMBHU SHARAN PATEL Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION be pleased to state:- (a) the details of major airport and terminal infrastructure initiated during the last two years, including their designed passenger handling capacity and expected regional economic impact; (b) whether any integrated multi-modal connectivity plan has been prepared to link newly developed airports with highways, railways and logistics hubs; (c) if so, the details thereof; and (d) whether any assessment has been made by Government regarding employment generation and the development of local ecosystems around the newly operational airports, if so, the details thereof? ANSWER Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION (Shri Murlidhar Mohol) (a): Government of India (GoI) has formulated a Greenfield Airports (GFA) Policy, 2008 for development of new Greenfield airports in the country. In last two years, GoI has granted 'In- Principle' approval for setting up of new Greenfield Airports at Kota in Rajasthan, Puri in Odisha and Parandur in Tamil Nadu with the estimated passenger handling capacity of 2, 4.6 and 20 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA) respectively. Further, Upgradation/ Modernisation of airports is a continuous process and during last two years, airport projects have been undertaken by AAI and Private airport operators/developers at several airports across the country including at Delhi, Lucknow, Guwahati, Kolhapur, Jabalpur, Gwalior, Dehradun, Rajkot, Surat, Tuticorin, Itanagar and Prayagraj etc. With the upgradation/modernisation/expansion, passenger handling capacity of these airports has become more than 150 MPPA. (b) & (c): Under the GFA Policy, 2008, 13 Greenfield airports viz. Durgapur, Shirdi, Kannur, Pakyong, Kalaburagi, Orvakal (Kurnool), Sindhudurg, Kushinagar, Itanagar, Mopa, Shivamogga, Rajkot (Hirasar) and Navi Mumbai have been operationalised and are well connected with road and rail network.(d): Airports have emerged as a nucleus of economic activities and have multiplier effect on the economy of the State. The linkage between the Civil Aviation Sector and Economic Growth is well recognised. International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) study shows that the air connectivity has an economic multiplier of 3.25 and employment multiplier of 6.1. ******