Indian prepares plan for low-cost airports
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India is planning to create a series of new low-cost airports across the country, in an effort to boost nationwide connectivity.
Aviation secretary Ashok Lavasa told an event organised by the Economic Times this week that the Indian government is preparing a “roadmap for no-frills airports”.
“The design of airports built in [the] past few years have been rather ambitious,” Lavasa told the event. “There is a lot of scope for cutting costs and conserving energy. The roadmap for no-frills airports is ready and that should help the objective of enhancing regional connectivity.”
The development of low-cost airports would support the expansion of India’s new breed of low-cost carrier, such as SpiceJet, IndiGo and, most recently, AirAsia India, which rely on low operating costs. Low-cost terminals tend to offer fewer services and lower usage fees for airlines.
And Lavasa told the Economic Times that rather than developing brand new airports, existing airstrips could be converted into commercial hubs.
“India has as many as 464 airstrips, out of which less than 25% are controlled by the AAI (Airport Authority of India). Of this number with AAI, not all are operational,” he said. “No frills and energy efficient airports will help us lower the cost of infrastructure. This way, we can optimally utilise our existing infrastructure (referring to hundreds of unutilized airstrips that can become functional airports by having a no frills terminal).
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked us to ensure maximum utilisation of available infrastructure,” the secretary added.
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