Emerging Scope of Airport Infrastructure: Case of India

Abstract

Since 2014, India’s commercial airline sector has augmented to become one of the country’s fastest-growing enterprises. India has surpassed the UK to become the world’s third-biggest regional airline marketplace, with the UK likely to fall behind in 2024. The Indian government has been trying to increase the number of airport terminals in order to meet the growing needs. India had 103 operating terminals as of March 2019, intending to build up that number to 190–200 by FY40. It is seen as a strategy to encourage commercial growth, with transportation infrastructure being required for the nation’s economic sustainability and growth. Although infrastructure does not immediately culminate in development, it is seen as a necessity for any socio-economic and sustainable growth. To institute the scope, the chapter enlists the importance of airport infrastructure in the Indian economy enrooted from operational, planning and management outlook. This chapter will describe the aspect of operations, including airport classification, i.e. Kerbside, Terminal and Airside. This chapter attempts to pen down the fundamentals of airport infrastructure planning, including capacity planning, master planning, facility and layout planning. The chapter will also illustrate the management perspective of airport infrastructure and evaluate commercial revenues, including aeronautical and non-aeronautical revenues with financial sustainability. Finally, the chapter will address the role of the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority and Ministry of Civil Aviation in airport pricing mechanism, Multi-Year Tariff Planning (MYTP) and overall revenue approaches, especially during public private partnerships and impacts on airport competition, growths and sustainability contributing to the Indian economy and its sustainability through the aviation sector paving the way forward for establishment of efficient and sustainable infrastructure and its effective management in the long run for the next generation.