Total annual passenger handling capacity at Indian airports rose to over 580 mn: Govt

New Delhi: The total annual passenger handling capacity at airports in the country has increased to more than 580 million, the government said on Monday.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol told the Rajya Sabha that capacity augmentation and modernisation projects are undertaken from time to time by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and other airport operators based on traffic growth, operational requirements, airline demand, financial viability and techno-economic considerations.

"As a result of these initiatives, the total passenger-handling capacity at airports across the country has been enhanced to over 580 million passengers per annum (MPPA), while passenger traffic handled during 2025-26 was about 420 million," he said in a written reply.


Currently, there are 166 airports in the country.

The ministry has given 'In-Principle' approval for setting up 25 greenfield airports, and out of them, 14 airports have been operationalised, Mohol said.

In a separate written reply, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said presently, 11 scheduled/scheduled commuter airlines are operating in India and that the government is committed to fostering a conducive environment that supports the expansion of existing airlines while facilitating the entry of new operators into the market.

"The scheduled Indian airlines have a fleet of 860 aircraft in operation. Further, airlines have placed orders for 2,056 aircraft, of which 427 aircraft have already been delivered. The induction of the remaining aircraft is planned by the respective airlines as per their fleet expansion plans, market requirements, business strategies and commercial considerations.

"The exact timeline of induction depends upon factors such as aircraft availability, supply chain conditions and other operational considerations," he said.