(a) the details of total number of international airports in the country;
(b) whether it is a fact that these airports are inadequate in view of the size of the country and the increasing number of air passengers;
(c) if so, the number of international airports required in the country along with the number of such airports for which the construction plans are being formulated; and
(d) the progress made in this regard so far?
The Minister of State (IC) in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION
(Shri Hardeep Singh Puri)
(a): There are a total of 29 international airports in the country as per details at Annexure. ;
(b) to (d): In order to meet the growing demand, the airport operators including the Airports Authority of India (AAI) undertake upgradation/ modernisation of airports from time to time depending on the availability of land, commercial viability, socio-economic considerations, traffic demand / willingness of airlines to operate to/from such airports etc.
Government of India has accorded ''in-principle'' approval for setting up 7 greenfield airports in the country as international airports namely Mopa in Goa, Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra, Karaikal in Puducherry, Jewar (Noida) in Uttar Pradesh, Dholera and Hirasar in Gujarat and Bhogapuram in Andhra Pradesh. Out of these 7 airports, AAI has undertaken development of two airports namely Hirasar and Dholera at a total project cost of Rs.1405 crore and Rs.1685 crore respectively from its own resources. Financing of the remaining greenfield airport projects is the responsibility of concerned airport developers. Further, timeline for completion of the airport projects depends upon many factors such as land acquisition, availability of mandatory clearances, financial closure, etc.