New Delhi, July 24 (IANS) The Airports Authority of India (AAI), along with its public-private-partnership (PPP) ventures, has incurred a cumulative capex (capital expenditure) exceeding Rs 96,000 crore during FY 2019-20 to FY 2024-25 to strengthen the country’s aviation sector, Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu informed the Parliament on Thursday.

At present, there are 162 operational airports, including heliports and water aerodromes, in the country. During the year 2024-25, Indian airports recorded a total passenger traffic of 412 million, including 77 million international and 335 million domestic passengers, marking a 9 per cent year-on-year growth. During this period, scheduled Indian operators operated on 835 domestic and 251 international routes, the minister said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.

Naidu also said that in 2016, the Ministry of Civil Aviation launched the Regional Connectivity Scheme-Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN), with the objective of enhancing regional air connectivity and making air travel more affordable for the general public and promoting regional development.

Since the commencement of the scheme, 637 RCS routes have been operationalised, connecting 92 unserved and underserved airports, including 15 heliports and two water aerodromes.

The scheme ensures affordability as the airfares on the seats on which Viability Gap Funding (VGF) is provided are capped at affordable rates, as determined by the government, the minister explained.

He further stated that modernisation and expansion of infrastructure facilities at existing airports is a continuous process undertaken by the AAI or the concerned airport operators, depending on traffic demand, commercial viability, land availability, operational requirements for aircraft safety, and demand from airlines.

The government has also formulated a Greenfield Airports (GFA) Policy, 2008 for development of new Greenfield airports in the country. As per the policy, if any airport developer, including the state government, desires to develop an airport, they are required to identify a suitable site and get the prefeasibility study conducted for construction of airport and submit a proposal to the Central government, he explained.

He also clarified that the Centre has not received any proposal seeking approval under the Greenfield Airports Policy, 2008, for the construction of a Greenfield airport at Palghar in Maharashtra or at Pachmarhi or Matkuli in Madhya Pradesh, either from the concerned state government or any airport developer.

–IANS

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