Infrastructure - Airports

India currently has 5 international and 88 domestic airports. The annual growth rate in airline passenger traffic for the period 1997-2000 is expected to be about 7% for international travelers and 10% for domestic, reaching a total of around 60 million passengers per year by the turn of the century. Along with this, air cargo is expected to grow at least 12% annually to close to 5.6 million tons by 2000.

The Air Corporation Act, 1953, repealed on March 1, 1994, ended the monopoly of Indian Airlines and Air India over scheduled air transport services. Private operators who were operating as air taxis, have been granted the scheduled airlines status. In addition, 21 air taxi operators have been given the permit for charter/non- schedule air transport services.

India’s airports are in urgent need of modernization in equipment and services, terminal technologies and transport facilities. Specific investment opportunities include:

• expansion of import and export wings at international airports
• building of new, integrated cargo and airfreight terminals
• building of common user domestic terminals at all international airports
• introduction of elevating transfer vehicles with stacker systems
• introduction of electronic data interchange at all airports to enable handling of international cargo