India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) is exploring the creation of six ‘Twin City’ airports by 2030 as a means to decongest major city airports in response to the rapid growth in air traffic. Twin City airports involve two separate airports serving neighboring cities or closely situated urban areas. The proposal is currently under review by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and a steering committee on greenfield airports. The committee is led by the Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
This initiative has already been launched in Delhi-National Capital Region, Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), and Goa. For instance, the under-development Noida International Airport (NIA) in Uttar Pradesh is set to complement the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi, while the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai will be supported by the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) at Navi Mumbai. Additionally, the recently operational Manohar International Airport (MIA) at Mopa complements Dabolim airport in Goa.
Joyanta Chakraborty, Director at the Civil Aviation Ministry, noted, “Like in Delhi NCR, we will have Delhi and Jewar, in Mumbai we will have Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, and along with Mopa and Dabolim, we are looking at around six such twin city airports by 2030, 15 by 2040, and maybe 30 plus by 2047.”
In response to increasing air travel demand for both domestic and international flights, several major airports across India are pursuing expansion and capacity enhancements. However, many large airports are expected to reach their peak handling capacity soon, necessitating the establishment of new airports in their vicinity.
For example, the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi is projected to reach its peak capacity of handling nearly 110 million passengers annually within the next decade. The first phase of the Noida International Airport, set to open in the near future, will have the capacity to accommodate 12 million passengers per year with one runway and 25 aircraft stands. By 2050, it is expected to handle up to 70 million passengers annually.
Similarly, the first phase of Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) is on track to commence air traffic by 2024, significantly increasing the passenger handling capacity in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) region by 40% upon its launch. As air traffic continues to surge, the development of these twin city airports promises to alleviate congestion and better manage India’s growing air travel industry.
