Civil Aviation Ministry Secretary Rajeev Bansal said on Tuesday that construction on Noida International Airport and Navi Mumbai Airports is on track and both are likely to be completed by next year. Speaking at the CAPA India Aviation Summit, Bansal said they are looking for 500 million capacity at the six metro airports combined. “Six major metro airports in India including Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad currently have a capacity of 320 million passengers,” Bansal said.
The Minister of Civil Aviation also said that work on the expansion of the first terminal (T1) in Delhi will be completed by August-September this year. “We hope that Terminal 1 will be expanded so that the three terminals at Delhi Airport will collectively be able to handle 100 million passengers a year,” Bansal said. According to him, the fourth runway will be put into operation by August, which, accordingly, will increase the volume of air traffic.
He said the privatization of Air India provides a level playing field for other carriers and a great opportunity for growth in international connectivity, given India’s large diaspora of 30 million people.
“India is allowing 777 pilots with a Foreign Aircrew Temporary Authorization (FATA) because there is demand but no qualified qualifications,” he said. He added that in view of the huge demand for international and domestic travel, the challenge will be to build world-class infrastructure.
He also said that there is currently a need in India for 19-seat aircraft to connect Tier 3 and Tier 4 cities. He appreciated the UDAN scheme and called it unprecedented. He also said that the investment plans of Air India Engineering Services Ltd (AIESL) are at an advanced stage.
