Want to take over Nagpur Airport at the earliest; will renovate existing terminal & begin work on new terminal
NEW DELHI: The GMR Group is all set to take over Nagpur Airport within about a fortnight. It will renovate the existing terminal and also begin work on constructing a new terminal that will be modular in design to allow phase-wise expansion to reach its ultimate capacity of 3 crore passengers annually. As both passenger and associated traffic of aviation facilities operating here grow, the airport will get a second runway in eight years to handle that peak capacity.
Sharing his plans exclusively with TOI, GMR Airports chairman GBS Raju said: “We want to take over the airport at the earliest. The immediate thing to be done is that we will renovate the existing terminal completely. The designs for the same are ready. Our 140 people are already working on the site. We have done financial closure of the airport. We are going to build a new integrated domestic-cum-international terminal which will take about 36 months (from when work begins).”
According to GMR website, the 40 lakh passenger annual capacity Nagpur airport had seen 25 lakh passengers in FY 26 when it was connected to over 15 destinations and handled over eight million tonnes cargo.
The group will show its plans to Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, who is from Nagpur and wants to see a world class airport in his city. Raju is upbeat about the potential of Nagpur Airport on both passenger traffic and aviation ecosystem counts. Maintenance repair overhaul (MRO) major Indamer Technics, which was recently acquired by Adani Group and where aircraft of multiple airlines including IndiGo come for checks, operates from here.
“Nagpur will become another Atlanta in the long term. Just like FedEx transformed Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area into a critical logistics hub, the same will happen at Nagpur. Most metro airports in India will have night parking problem in five years from now. Nagpur will be very helpful for first flight of the day (for airlines to operate from nearby metros). That is the positioning we have in mind for Nagpur from passenger and cargo. Nagpur is a logistical hub and will be a game changer for everyone,” Raju said.
“Several aviation majors like Safran are working very closely with Indian defence companies to set up component manufacturing units. Nagpur is well positioned for that because it has that ecosystem,” he added.
The GMR group shared its plans after the Union cabinet earlier this month approved the extension of period of Airports Authority of India’s (AAI) land leased to MIHAN beyond to enable MIHAN to license Nagpur Airport to concessionaire GMR Nagpur International Airport Ltd (GNIAL) for 30 years.
“With the extension of lease period…, it would now become co-terminus with the 30 years concession period of GNIAL… This is expected to usher in a new era of growth and infrastructure advancement for Nagpur Airport. With private sector efficiency and govt oversight, the airport is poised to see significant investment, modernisation, and improved passenger and cargo services,” a govt statement had said on May 13, when the Cabinet decision was taken.
“GNIAL will take up the transformation of Nagpur's Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport into a world-class facility with phased development envisaged to reach the ultimate capacity of handling three crore passengers annually, positioning it as a key airport in central India,” the May 13 govt statement had added.
Sharing his plans exclusively with TOI, GMR Airports chairman GBS Raju said: “We want to take over the airport at the earliest. The immediate thing to be done is that we will renovate the existing terminal completely. The designs for the same are ready. Our 140 people are already working on the site. We have done financial closure of the airport. We are going to build a new integrated domestic-cum-international terminal which will take about 36 months (from when work begins).”
According to GMR website, the 40 lakh passenger annual capacity Nagpur airport had seen 25 lakh passengers in FY 26 when it was connected to over 15 destinations and handled over eight million tonnes cargo.
The group will show its plans to Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, who is from Nagpur and wants to see a world class airport in his city. Raju is upbeat about the potential of Nagpur Airport on both passenger traffic and aviation ecosystem counts. Maintenance repair overhaul (MRO) major Indamer Technics, which was recently acquired by Adani Group and where aircraft of multiple airlines including IndiGo come for checks, operates from here.
“Nagpur will become another Atlanta in the long term. Just like FedEx transformed Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area into a critical logistics hub, the same will happen at Nagpur. Most metro airports in India will have night parking problem in five years from now. Nagpur will be very helpful for first flight of the day (for airlines to operate from nearby metros). That is the positioning we have in mind for Nagpur from passenger and cargo. Nagpur is a logistical hub and will be a game changer for everyone,” Raju said.
“Several aviation majors like Safran are working very closely with Indian defence companies to set up component manufacturing units. Nagpur is well positioned for that because it has that ecosystem,” he added.
The GMR group shared its plans after the Union cabinet earlier this month approved the extension of period of Airports Authority of India’s (AAI) land leased to MIHAN beyond to enable MIHAN to license Nagpur Airport to concessionaire GMR Nagpur International Airport Ltd (GNIAL) for 30 years.
“With the extension of lease period…, it would now become co-terminus with the 30 years concession period of GNIAL… This is expected to usher in a new era of growth and infrastructure advancement for Nagpur Airport. With private sector efficiency and govt oversight, the airport is poised to see significant investment, modernisation, and improved passenger and cargo services,” a govt statement had said on May 13, when the Cabinet decision was taken.
“GNIAL will take up the transformation of Nagpur's Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport into a world-class facility with phased development envisaged to reach the ultimate capacity of handling three crore passengers annually, positioning it as a key airport in central India,” the May 13 govt statement had added.
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