GMR Hyderabad Airport expanding, to double capacity

GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd is all set to embark on a major expansion by doubling the capacity up to 25 million passengers per annum (MPPA).

“Though the work has begun in a small way, it will gather speed in January 2018 and will be completed in 24-30 months. Last year, the airport handled 16 MPPA and expected to hit 18 MPPA by end of this fiscal,” SGK Kishore, CEO, GHIAL, said.

“When the terminal was planned in 2006, it was designed to facilitate expansion and handle twice the current capacity of 12 MPPA when completed. Of the 16 MPPA handled last year, one third were international travellers,” he said.

“The Telangana government is keen on completing the second airport runway while expanding the terminal and ensure linkage of the metro rail project to the airport. In the meanwhile, we have brought about a number of changes to handle higher capacities,” Kishore said.

GMR recently raised $350 million through a bond offer to facilitate the airport expansion.

Hyderabad Airport has witnessed 15.24 MPPA in 2016-17, registering a growth of 22 per cent in overall passenger traffic and 23 per cent growth in air traffic movements over 2015-16. GMR HIAL, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad and Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board have inked an MoU to promote tourism in Malaysia and also explore new locations for connectivity.

Mohd Badlisham Ghazali, Managing Director, MAHB, Abdul Khani Daud, Deputy Director General (Promotion), MTPB, and Kishore signed the agreement.

Over 1,00,000 passengers travel between Hyderabad and Malaysia every year and this traffic has grown by 28 per cent CAGR in the last five years.

Ghazali said, “This three-way partnership will enhance the visibility of Malaysia’s tourism attractions in Hyderabad and surrounding areas. This will in turn boost arrivals of Indians from south-central India to Malaysia.” Daud said, “We hope to see one million tourists from India by next year. Last year, we closed at 6,38,000 as against 7,50,000 a year before. This number will go up as more people get to know about the connectivity and leisure tourism Malaysia offers. It is already a popular destination for weddings, honeymoon and filmmaking.”

Now 10 domestic carriers connect Hyderabad with 39 domestic destinations. The airport also connects 18 international destinations with 16 foreign and three Indian carriers. Due to the growing demand for travel, there is considerable interest by existing and other airlines to add capacity on this route.

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