Not Every City Gets An Airport. Here's How India Chooses

From Navi Mumbai launching operations to Jewar preparing for its first flight to Bengaluru hunting for a second airport, India’s aviation map is busier than ever. From just 74 airports in 2014 to 160-plus now, and more in the pipeline, India’s air connectivity has soared to unprecedented heights over the past decade or so.

And it’s not just big cities. Airports are also being planned in smaller cities like Warangal in Telangana, Bhogapuram in Andhra Pradesh, and Parandur near Chennai. But why do some cities like Delhi-NCR and Mumbai, and soon Bengaluru, have two airports, while some only have one, and others are still waiting in the wings? Why do some airports move swiftly from announcement to construction to operation, while others gather dust

on the drawing board?

Several Indian cities have been demanding airports of their own, but the decision of which city gets one is not based on a single factor, but multiple considerations like passenger demand, economic activity, land availability, environmental concerns, state government policy, and future growth projections.

A major new airport falls under the Greenfield Airports Policy, while a small-town airstrip being revived for daily flights comes under UDAN, the Regional Connectivity Scheme launched in October 2016.

First, There Has To Be Demand

This is the first obvious factor to consider – are enough people within and near the city demanding direct air connectivity?

Before approving a new airport, authorities assess the data on population growth, business activity, tourism potential, cargo movement as well as study the existing travel patterns. A growing city that is generating increasing air traffic will naturally move up the waitlist. That is one of the reasons Delhi-NCR and Mumbai were gifted second airports in Jewar and Navi Mumbai – because their primary airports were stretched too thin with the burgeoning air traffic. And that’s why Bengaluru is finally getting its second airport, most likely on the Kanakapura Road.

Airports now are basically often planned and built not for the existing passengers of today, but for those who might take to the skies 10 years from now.

The 150km Rule: Why Every City Cannot Demand Its Own Airport

One of the lesser-known rules why a city’s airport proposal may get rejected is the distance criterion under the Greenfield Airport Policy. The Centre basically discourages the development of a new airport of a civilian airport already exists within a 150-km radius. The idea is to prevent duplication of infrastructure and ensure the existing airport remains financially viable.

But then how did Noida’s Jewar airport come up within 90 kilometres of the IGI Airport in Delhi? Or how is the Navi Mumbai airport operating just 40km from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport?

Because the central government decides exceptions and rule relaxations based on the burden on existing airports. The 2016 National Civil Aviation Policy permits a new airport inside the 150-km radius provided the existing, state-run airport is compensated and is not yet running at capacity, as reported by The Financial Express.

Airport operators can also ensure non-competing clauses. In Bengaluru, the exclusivity shielding Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) lapses around 2033, which is exactly why the second-airport clock began ticking now.

Ease Of Land Acquisition

This is the most difficult part of the process. Modern airports require thousands of acres of land, which means politically sensitive negotiations with farmers, rehabilitation of locals, environmental compatibility, and any legal challenges that may crop up along the way.

Several proposed airports in India, like the one planned for Parandur in Tamil Nadu, are languishing in the planning stage because of such roadblocks. The recently inaugurated Noida Airport in Jewar was also delayed by years over compensation dispute between land owners and the authorities.

In many cases, securing land could prove to be more challenging than constructing the airport itself.

The Centre Does Not Build Airports Alone

A common misconception is that the Union Government unilaterally decides and sanctions airports. That’s not true; state government play a crucial role too.

In fact, usually it’s the state government that identifies potential land parcel, conducts initial viability studies, and offers land for the project. Multiple authorities then evaluate whether the proposed airport is technically, economically and geographically feasible.

The state government proposal is examined by the Ministry Of Civil Aviation’s Steering Committee. The Airports Authority of India then inspects the proposed site. The Ministry of Defence weighs in on the sensitivity of the airspace.

Further approval arrives in two states — Site Clearance and then In-Principle approval, before the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) grants the aerodrome licence that lets flights start.

Not Every Airport Is Built For Existing Demand

India’s air connectivity plans are no longer limited to big cities like Delhi and Mumbai.

The Narendra Modi government’s UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) scheme seeks to improve air connectivity in smaller and underserved cities. In such cases, airports are not always built because millions of passengers already exist.

Sometimes it’s the other way around — airports are developed because policymakers believe air connectivity itself can generate economic growth, tourism and investment.

That is why some smaller cities occasionally receive airports even when their current passenger numbers appear modest.

Why Second Airports Are Becoming More Common

As urban populations expand and air travel becomes more affordable, some big city airports are grossly overloaded. Expanding the existing airport is not feasible in most cases due to land constraints and operational limits.

As a result, many metro cities are getting second airports — Delhi has Jewar, Mumbai has Navi Mumbai, Chennai is pursuing plans for a second airport at Parandur, and Bengaluru is now moving in the same direction.

Instead of waiting for airports to become severely congested, the government is attempting to build capacity years in advance.