By Rajveer Sekhawat 
The Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport at Guwahati will shift to its new terminal by April 2025. The initial target to complete the expansion was December 2024. It was being developed at a total cost of INR 2,000 crore. However, there were some delays in operations because of some changes in the design of the airports. There were plans to include more facilities in the building. This caused a few months of delay at the airport.
Adani’s Expansion Plans:
The Union Cabinet provided its approval for leasing the Guwahati airport to the Adani Group during 2020. The lease was provided for perations, management, and development for a total tenure of 50 years. The Airport Authority of India was developing the new terminal before the management was transferred to the Adani Group. Since then, Adani Airlines has been responsible for the airport. It has also been working on ensuring that the work on expanding the new terminal gets carried out with full force. This will not only help streamline the operations at the airport but also help the Adani Group’s airport business achieve new growth. The airport operations will be triggered at the airport.
The Expanded Capacity Of The Airport:
The new terminal will be able to accommodate increased capacity, leading to better operations for the Adani Group’s business. The capacity of this new terminal will be 13.1 million passengers per annum against 3.4 mppa of the existing facility. More than INR 2,000 crore is being spent on this entire facility. Out of this, around INR 1,600 crore will be spent on building a new terminal. The remaining amount will be used to construct a new taxiway and expand the existing runway. After completing the parallel taxiway, the runway capacity of the airport will increase to 34 air traffic movements from the present capacity of 18. This will bring about an increase in the Adani Group’s total air traffic capacity.
Adani’s Dreams For The Airport:
Adani Airlines has already set four visions for the airport. The first vision is to establish connections with all 16 airports in the northeast and other major countries. The company also wants to develop LGBI airport as an international hub for South East Asia. It has plans to develop a cargo market in the region and introduce air transportation of perishable growth. The company has also mentioned that air transportation and the tourism industry go hand in hand, and expanding the operations of one of the airports will also give the state’s tourism industry an extraordinary boost. This will bring about overall development and economic prosperity in the northeast states. The people will find it really convenient to reach the northeast states.
The Adani Group also has elaborate plans to design an approach lighting system at the airport that can meet the visibility requirements for pilots from 1300 m to just 500 m in the subsequent phases of the project. The company has elaborate plans for repair, maintenance, and overhaul facilities. There are elaborate plans for Aerocity development. This will be taken up as a part of the company’s city-side development projects, which aim to develop hotels, malls, and other elaborate facilities for the passengers. This will offer the Adani Group passengers an extraordinary experience. They will be able to travel to the different Adani Group airports in a highly convenient manner.
Adani’s Presence In The Airport Sector:
Currently, the Adani Group is the biggest private airport operator in the country. It has an enhanced presence across multiple airports in the country. In fact, some of the nation’s major airports are under the control of the Adani Group. Because of its enhanced presence, it has won the bid for a majority of the airports across the country during the government’s airport privatisation drive. It has also taken up various initiatives to automate the airports of the country. The Adani Group is also presently focusing on gaining control over the international airports. This will help the business group further extend its control over the business sector.
Conclusion:
Adani Airlines is already one of the biggest names in the global airport sector. With time, it will continue to extend its presence in this growth sector. Ultimately, a time will come when the group will become one of the biggest players in the international airport sector as well.
SHIVAM SHARMA