AAI Modernising ATC Towers, Navigational Systems and Critical Infrastructure: Chairman Vipin Kumar

Hyderabad: Airports Authority of India (AAI) is modernising and automating the air traffic control towers, navigational systems and other critical infrastructure with an investment of about Rs 15,000 crore.

The exercise will be completed by 2028 and following that infra at all air ports would be future-ready, said AAI chairman Vipin Kumar on Wednesday after a panel discussion at the aviation industry event Wings India 2026 in Hyderabad.

“For the upgrade, we have assessed every airport, each ATC tower and every technical power system-what systems are required, how old they are and their remaining life. Based on this, we have prepared a roadmap involving an investment of Rs 15,000 crore, which will be completed by the end of 2028,” he said.

Kumar said AAI has already floated tenders for several projects, while others are in the process. “We are confident that by the end of 2028, the ATC tower automation and navigation systems will be future-ready and aligned with global standards,” he added. The entire investment would be funded through internal accruals. AAI typically invested around Rs 8,000 crore annually as capital expenditure.

He also said that the multi-airport system, on the lines of recent new airports at Nodia and Navi Mumbai, is being taken up by the government on a case to case basis depending on the demand. ``Capacity with quality needs to be increased. We need more flights, more cargo and more airports,’’ he said, adding that the measures taken by the Government in the last 10 years were resulting in growth of the civil aviation sector in the country.

India had outpaced global growth with a 8.3 percent CAGR during the last 10 years while the global growth rate was at 3.5 percent. The adoption of Digi Yatra in 16 airports cut down the waiting time in queues by 25 to 30 percent in these airports, he added.

On the challenges ahead, Kumar said airports must be designed along with infrastructure enhancement and sustainability was also an issue.

He said AAI will post revenues of about Rs 22,000 crore in the current financial year, the same as last year. AAI had a one-time advantage of Rs 2,000 crore last year, adding that the projected revenue of Rs 22,000 crore this year should be viewed as growth.

Meanwhile, Arun Bansal, chief executive officer, Adani Airport Holdings said the challenges ahead were policy advocacy, technology adoption and bilateral seat allocation. “We are the slowest in the world in adoption of technology in aviation,” Bansal said during the panel discussion. To become an aviation hub, India needs to step up focus on fostering aviation related manufacturing on a priority basis, he added.

Stefano Baronci, director-general, Airports Council International, Asia Pacific and Middle East, said risk management should be the `top of the agenda’ and Indian Industry should focus on optimising existing capacity while creating the new capacity.

Pradeep Panicker, president and CEO of GMR Hyderabad International Airport, said the city’s airport was under expansion. It was following the modular expansion on the existing side. The airport, which began its operations in March 2008, had a footfall of over 29 million passengers FY2025, making it one of the busiest airports in Asia. “We are taking up expansion. One problem is technology obsolescence. Many things have changed since we launched the airport back then. We are upgrading all the technologies in this phase,” he said.