Parliament Question: Expansion of Mangaluru International Airport

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 3124 ( TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 6th August 2026 ) EXPANSION OF MANGALURU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT 3124. SHRI CAPTAIN BRIJESH CHOWTA Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION be pleased to state:- (a) whether the Government has reviewed the aviation skilling and maintenance ecosystem and the current operational, traffic, facility and proposal status of Mangaluru International Airport and if so, the details thereof; (b) the details of the passenger and cargo traffic data, capacity, approvals, investments and service indicators of Mangaluru International Airport; (c) the details of the infrastructure, regulatory, airline, land, skill and coordination constraints affecting the expansion of aviation ecosystem and airport capacity; and (d) the time-bound facilitation and capacity enhancement plan for Mangaluru International Airport? ANSWER Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION (Shri Murlidhar Mohol) (a): The Government has undertaken various measures to strengthen the aviation skilling and aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) ecosystem in the country. As part of the Union Budget 2026-27, 'nil' Basic Customs Duty (BCD) has been provided on components or parts, including engines, for the manufacture of aircraft and the manufacture of parts required for such aircraft. Further, the BCD exemption on parts, testing equipment, tools and tool-kits required for aircraft MRO has been extended till 31st March, 2028. As a result of these initiatives, the number of domestic MROs in India has increased from 96 in 2014 to 164 as of March 2026.;; The Government has also taken measures to strengthen pilot training capacity and infrastructure in the country. The Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) Section 7, Series D, Part I prescribe an Aircraft:Instructor:Cadet ratio of 1:1:10, corresponding to a training capacity of approximately 3500 cadets at the approved FTOs at any given time. The measures taken also include: (i) Simplifying and streamlining the approval and oversight process for Flying Training Organisations. (ii) Revising training regulations to improve efficiency and optimise utilisation of training resources. (iii) Introducing a ranking framework for FTOs to promote quality and safety in pilot training.;(iv) To enhance flying hours availability, the inflight visibility criteria has been conditionally revised to 3 Kms from earlier 5 Kms under the Flight Training Circular 01 of 2025. (v) DGCA has revised CAR Section 7, Series I, Part V and Designated Examiner's Manual by delinking the examiner function from the Certified Flight Instructor (CFI)/Dy. CFI role, delegating Flight Instructor Rating checks to FTOs, expanding qualified examiner pool, reducing cool-off period to 30 days for appearing in second attempt of Oral exam for CFI, Dy. CFI & Designated Examiner. (vi) The frequency of oral examinations/boards for Assistant Flight Instructors (AFIs) and Flight Instructors (FIs) has been increased to a monthly basis.;; Training programmes for aviation manpower are aligned with the DGCA-approved training and procedures manual, emerging skill requirements of the aviation sector through active collaboration with industry stakeholders, including periodic curriculum revision. Requirements are periodically reviewed by DGCA and are kept in line with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) framework. (b) Mangaluru International Airport handled 2.56 million passengers, 18917 Air Traffic Movements (ATMs) and 5851.74 tonnes of cargo for FY 2025-26. The airport has a passenger handling capacity of 3.2 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA). The airport has been awarded the ACI Level 5 Customer Experience Accreditation and has also been recognized as the World's Best Airport for Arrivals based on Airport Service Quality (ASQ) survey ratings. (c)Mangaluru International Airport has a runway (06-24) measuring 2330 m * 45 m, a new integrated terminal building with an area of 48572 sq. m. and an integrated cargo terminal with a capacity of 9000 metric tonnes per annum. The airport is presently served by Air India Express and IndiGo. The airport currently has 583.77 acres of land.; (d) The expansion and modernization of airports is a continuous process undertaken by Airport Operators based on land availability, commercial viability, socio-economic considerations and traffic demand or the willingness of airlines to commence or enhance operations. ******