The Adani Group has unveiled an ambitious plan to invest ₹1 lakh crore in its airports business over the next five years, signalling strong confidence in the long-term growth prospects of India’s aviation sector.
The investment will focus on expanding airport infrastructure, enhancing capacity and strengthening the group’s position as India’s largest private airport operator.
Jeet Adani, Director of Adani Airports and younger son of billionaire Gautam Adani, said the group expects India’s aviation industry to grow at a robust pace of 15–16 per cent annually for the next decade or more.
Speaking ahead of the start of commercial operations at Navi Mumbai International Airport, he described the growth runway for Indian aviation as long-term and sustainable.
The Adani Group considers the Navi Mumbai International Airport a key pillar of its expansion strategy and will begin its commercial operations on December 25.
Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL), in which the Adani Group holds a 74 per cent stake, is developing the airport.
Built at an initial cost of ₹19,650 crore, the first phase of the airport will have the capacity to handle 20 million passengers annually.
Over time, the airport will scale up its capacity to 90 million passengers, easing pressure on Mumbai’s existing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and supporting long-term growth in regional air traffic.
Expanding Airport Portfolio
In addition to Mumbai’s two airports, the Adani Group currently operates six other airports across the country—Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram, Jaipur and Mangaluru.
This portfolio includes a mix of major metro hubs and regional airports, giving the group a significant presence across India’s aviation landscape.
Jeet Adani said the group will bid very aggressively in the next round of airport privatisation, which is expected to cover 11 airports.
The Civil Aviation Ministry has identified these airports for operation under the public-private partnership model, while the National Monetisation Pipeline envisages leasing 25 Airports Authority of India-operated airports between 2022 and 2025.
Highlighting India’s low per-capita air travel compared to countries such as China, Adani said the sector still has immense headroom for expansion. He noted that Mumbai airport has faced capacity constraints since 2016, which limited its ability to meet rising demand—an issue that the Navi Mumbai airport will address.
Through its airport arm, Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL), the group now accounts for around 23 per cent of passenger traffic and approximately 33 per cent of cargo traffic in India.
Alongside core infrastructure, AAHL is investing in capacity upgrades, phased expansions and ancillary services such as retail and city-side developments, reflecting its strategy to build diversified revenue streams and strengthen India’s aviation ecosystem.
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