Concerns over the rising demand for air travel in the country are becoming more and more topical these days. While there are 125 airports, including 11 international aerodromes operated by Airports Authority of India (AAI), they are obviously not enough.
A second airport could solve the problem for many major cities in India, decongesting the main airport, but land acquisition for construction of new airports remains problematic. The minimal land plot necessary for building a terminal building, other airport facilities and at least one runway is about 2,000 ac. The AAI together with the Ministry of Civil Aviation have addressed the government recently asking to reserve land for a second airport in major cities and destinations across the country.
Mumbai, the largest urban agglomeration in India, and Delhi, the country's capital, will be the first to get a second airport. Other cities under consideration include Visakhapatnam, the largest city and the financial capital of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, Kolkata, the capital of the state of West Bengal, Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu state, and Pune, a sprawling city in the western Indian state of Maharashtra.
Largest Cities in India May Get Second Airport Soon
News in Asia
The Civil Aviation Ministry of India are mulling a possibility to build a second airport in all the major cities in India to cope with growing air passenger traffic and to provide travellers with a wider choice of options.