With a target of 25 more regional airports to be built this year to add to already present 65-70 airports, India will soon have more than 100 airports, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Tuesday.
Jaitley was speaking at a facilitation ceremony organised by Delhi International Airport ltd (DIAl), a subsidiary of GMR Group, for being awarded the best Airport in the world second year in a row.
“From being rated below rank 100 to number 1, the journey of Delhi Airport shows India’s success story. logically, there is no reason airlines and airports shouldn’t do well in India. We have one of the largest populations, one of the fastest growing major economies in the world and a middle class the size of the population of the US. India, therefore, needs airports of quality,” he said.
He added that India is at a turning point of its infrastructure story and is facing excellent infrastructure in near future in terms of airports, road infrastructure, sea ports as well as railways.
Union Minister Mahesh Sharma said in the next three years, a fourth runway will be added to the existing three to cater to the fast increasing number of passengers expected to cross 75 million passengers in the next three years.
“The Government also has plans to add 80-100 new airports in the country connecting tier-2 and tier-3 cities,” he said.
During the event, organised under the aegis of DIAl, Ashok Gajapathi Raju, the Union Minister of Civil Aviation, said, “As regards infrastructure, airports are the backbone of the Civil Aviation sector in any country. The status and position of Delhi, as the national Capital and the gateway to our nation is unique. The premier airport of any national Capital would have to be operationally efficient, technically advanced, environment friendly and aesthetically pleasing. I am sanguine that DIAl shall continue to assign high priority to all these factors as it expands its operations in becoming a hub of economic activity for the entire National Capital Region.”
Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu said, “Airports have evolved as drivers of business location and urban development in the 21st century. The development and modernisation of Delhi Airport has resulted in significant socio-economic impact, bringing in prosperity not just for the National Capital Territory of Delhi but also for India as a whole.”
Naidu said with Indian economy growing at a fast pace, spending capacity of people will increase and better airports and better airlines are the future.
GM Rao, Group Chairman, GMR Group, said, “By developing Delhi International Airport as a global Indian hub, the Indian aviation industry has grown manifolds. The DIAl has contributed effectively towards the revival and transformation of the Indian aviation industry by constructing Terminal 3, one of the Independent India’s biggest infrastructure projects in a record time of 37 months. This is an unparalleled feat accomplished amongst its global peers and would not have been possible without the support and guidance of all our stakeholders and various government agencies. We feel privileged and honoured by developing this national asset, of which we are the custodians.”
He further added that India is well placed to be amongst the global top 3 aviation markets by 2026.
The IGI Airport has been recognised as the world’s number 1 airport in its category by the Airport Council International (ACI) twice in a row. Besides, the IGI Airport also bagged two more awards from ACI Asia Pacific Best Airport by size and region in the 25-40 MPPA category and Asia Pacific — 2nd Best Airport by Region in 2015.
The IGI Airport has recorded a substantial improvement in all aspects after the GMR-led consortium took over the operations in 2006. In 2007, the airport was ranked 101 out of 125 airports in the world in terms of ACI Airport Service Quality (ASQ).
From this very low position, DIAl has made rapid progress over the years in enhancing the IGI Airport’s service quality, which has resulted in steady improvement in its rankings. In 2011, the airport had achieved the position of world’s number 2 in its category, which it retained for three consecutive years till 2013. In 2014 it stepped up its position to the world no. 1 rank in the 25-40 MPPA category and retained the rank in 2015 with a score of 4.96 in ACI ASQ survey on a scale of 1 to 5.