India, Dec. 25 -- India is the world's fifth-largest civil aviation market, handling over 700,000 aircraft movements annually. Between April 2024 and March 2025, a total of 200 million (international and domestic) passengers flew from the country's airports. Even as airline debuts and closures dominate headlines, the airport ecosystem remains steady, because airports don't shut shop overnight.

The growth in operational airport numbers has been impressive - from 74 in 2014 to 164 now. And there is ambition for more. Recently, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) chairman outlined a plan to set up 34 "mega airports" by 2047. With two new mega airports, Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra and Jhevar in Uttar Pradesh, expected to start functioning so...