The Indian government plans to invite global bids for 11 airports currently managed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) by December 2026. The airports will be offered to private operators under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model through long-term concessions of 50 years.
As per the current plan, 11 airports will be grouped into 5 bundles. With each bundle will combine a larger operational airport with one smaller one. The goal is to utilize revenue from busier airports to support the operation and development of airports with lower passenger traffic.
The proposal has received approval from the Public-Private Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPPAC), with further developments and approvals expected before the bidding process begins.
What Is Airport Privatisation Under the PPP Model?
The term airport privatisation can be described as the participation of private enterprises in the management of government owned airports.
In PPP, private enterprises are granted concessions for managing the airports for a long period of time with the government holding ownership of the same.
In the present context, 11 airports are proposed to be given to private enterprises for 50 years.
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List of 11 Airports Proposed for Privatisation
The proposed list includes some of India's important airports, including Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi to Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar.
The airports will be divided into 5 bundles covering different states. Below is the complete list of the 11 airports, along with their respective states and bundles.
|
No.
|
Airport
|
State
|
Proposed bundle
|
|
1
|
Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport, Amritsar
|
Punjab
|
Bundle 1
|
|
2
|
Kangra-Gaggal Airport
|
Himachal Pradesh
|
Bundle 1
|
|
3
|
Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, Varanasi
|
Uttar Pradesh
|
Bundle 2
|
|
4
|
Gaya Airport
|
Bihar
|
Bundle 2
|
|
5
|
Kushinagar International Airport
|
Uttar Pradesh
|
Bundle 2
|
|
6
|
Biju Patnaik International Airport, Bhubaneswar
|
Odisha
|
Bundle 3
|
|
7
|
Hubballi Airport
|
Karnataka
|
Bundle 3
|
|
8
|
Swami Vivekananda Airport, Raipur
|
Chhattisgarh
|
Bundle 4
|
|
9
|
Aurangabad Airport (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar)
|
Maharashtra
|
Bundle 4
|
|
10
|
Tiruchirappalli International Airport
|
Tamil Nadu
|
Bundle 5
|
|
11
|
Tirupati Airport
|
Andhra Pradesh
|
Bundle 5
|
How Many Airports are Currently Operating PPP Model?
As of latest information, 14 airports are currently operating under public-private model. Below is the complete list.
|
Name of Airport
|
City
|
State/UT
|
|
|
1
|
Cochin
|
Kochi
|
Kerala
|
|
2
|
Bangalore
|
Bengaluru
|
Karnataka
|
|
3
|
Hyderabad
|
Hyderabad
|
Telangana
|
|
4
|
Kannur
|
Kannur
|
Kerala
|
|
5
|
Delhi
|
New Delhi
|
Delhi (NCT)
|
|
6
|
Mumbai
|
Mumbai
|
Maharashtra
|
|
7
|
Ahmedabad
|
Ahmedabad
|
Gujarat
|
|
8
|
Lucknow
|
Lucknow
|
Uttar Pradesh
|
|
9
|
Mangaluru
|
Mangaluru
|
Karnataka
|
|
10
|
Jaipur
|
Jaipur
|
Rajasthan
|
|
11
|
Guwahati
|
Guwahati
|
Assam
|
|
12
|
Thiruvananthapuram
|
Thiruvananthapuram
|
Kerala
|
|
13
|
Durgapur
|
Durgapur
|
West Bengal
|
|
14
|
Mopa
|
Mopa (Pernem)
|
Goa
|
How Many Operational Airports Are There in India?
The total number of functional airports in India as per July 2026 in India is 165, as stated by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. With over 60 airports are currently under construction.
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