The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is poised for significant growth and profitability, riding favourable tailwinds in the coming years, Union Minister for Civil Aviation and Steel, Jyotiraditya Scindia, said at the 29th AAI Annual Day.

“AAI will be the most profitable and ahead of all PSUs in the coming years,” Scindia said. “We aim to expand from 157 airports, heliports and aerodromes to 200 in the next five years.”

AAI has earmarked a capital expenditure (capex) of ₹30,000 crore for the next five years, exceeding the ₹25,000 crore allocated for the period 2019-20 to 2024-25. This figure is part of a larger National Infrastructure Pipeline that allocates ₹91,000 crore for airport development, including public-private partnership (PPP) projects.

AAI Chairman, Sanjeev Kumar, highlighted the organisation’s achievements in FY24. “We had a stellar performance in FY24,” Kumar said. “We surpassed our capex target of ₹5,250 crore, exceeding the previous year’s figure of ₹5,175 crore.”

The authority also achieved record-breaking revenue and profit. “We are likely to achieve a turnover of ₹15,000 crore, which is the highest ever, with a profit before tax (PBT) of ₹5,000 crore, also the highest ever,” Kumar added.

Growth strategy

AAI’s growth strategy involves not only financial performance but also physical expansion.  The authority successfully operationalised 20 key infrastructure projects in FY24, including a new greenfield international airport in Rajkot and airports in Ayodhya, Aligarh, and several other cities.

Looking ahead, AAI plans to develop new greenfield airports in Dolo (Assam), Kota (Rajasthan), and a civil enclave in Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh). Sustainability is also a priority, with 67 of AAI’s airports now powered by green energy and a goal of achieving even greater energy efficiency across the network.

Asangba Chuba Ao, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, emphasised the importance of efficiency and customer service. “We are in a competitive environment where passengers will raise complaints if there is inconvenience,” Ao said adding “Hence, AAI needs to ensure efficiency. Effectiveness and promptness must increase, and I am sure AAI will achieve greater heights.”

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