International Airports of India

The history of Modern Civil Aviation in India is traced back to the year 1911. At that time, India took its first flight over 9.7 Kilometers from Prayagraj polo field to Naini. A French pilot named Henri Pequet delivered 6,500 letters from the Prayagraj (Allahabad) exhibition to the receiving office at Prayagraj. He flew through a Humber sommer biplane. The Humber biplane was a French aircraft. At the time of independence of India, nine airlines were carrying both cargo and passengers, such as Tata Airlines, Deccan Airlines, Indian national airways. Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy (JRD) Tata is the father of Indian Civil Aviation. He was the first Indian citizen who gained a pilot license. He was the founder of Air India, the first domestic carrier airline. 137 total airports in India. Cochin International Airport, Kerala is the first international airport in India which has a built-in Public-Private Partnership Model.

Airport Authority of India 

The Airport Authority of India (AAI) manages all the operations of all the international airports in India, domestic, and civil enclave airports of India. It was established on April 1, 1995, by grouping all national airport authorities and international airport authorities of India. The main function of the Airport Authority of India is to develop, design, and maintain the domestic airport, international airport, and civil enclaves. It provides air navigation services. Airports help in the economic growth of the country.

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Image: Airport Authority of India

Classification of Airports

1- International Airports: International Airports provides facilities for arriving and departing international flights. They also provide facilities for domestic flights. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports and provide more facilities. There are a total of 24 international airports in India.

2- Custom Airports: Custom airports provide immigration and customs facilities for controlled international operations by national carriers and cargo charter flights. India has ten custom airports.

3- Domestic Airports: Domestic airports handle all the domestic flights within the country. They do not provide facilities for international flights. India has 103 domestic airports.

4- Civil Enclaves in Defence Airport: India has 26 civil enclaves in Defence Airfields. Civil Enclaves are those areas that are allotted to the Military for the use of civil aviation.

Top 10 International Airports of India 

There are 34 total international airports in India. These are the ten busiest and important airports in India. They are as follows:

1.Indira Gandhi International Airport  -  Indira Gandhi International Airport is one of the best international airports in India. It has a total of five terminals. Out of five terminals, one terminal is for charter flights, and one is for cargo flights. It is located in Delhi. This airport is spread over an area of 5495 acres. If you wonder how many airports are in Delhi so remember Indira Gandhi International Airport is the largest Airport of Delhi and the second Airport of Delhi is Safdarjung.        

2. Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport - This is the second busiest international airport in India. It is located in Vile Parle East in Mumbai. Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport has three terminals. Terminal one is for domestic flights, and terminal two is for international flights as well as for domestic flights. 

3. Kempegowda International Airport - This airport is the third busiest airport in India. It has only one terminal which handles both domestic and international flights. The second terminal of the airport is under construction. It is located in Bangalore, Karnataka.

4. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport -  It was also known as Dum Dum Airport. Dum dum airport was renamed Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. It is located in the beautiful city of Kolkata,  West Bengal. 

5. Rajiv Gandhi International Airport - It is the fifth busiest airport in India. It is expanded in the area of 5400 acres. It is scaling to meet the demand of passengers day by day. It is located in Hyderabad. 

6. Pune International Airport - This airport also offers the top facilities to its travellers like other international airports. It is situated in Pune, Maharashtra.

7. Chennai International Airport - Chennai International Airport was previously known as Madras International Airport (MAA). It is located in Tamilnadu. It is a two-terminal airport that provides international and domestic flights. It has two runways.

8. Sardar Vallabhai Patel International Airport - This airport is located in Gujarat. It provides facilities for domestic and international flights. It cates the aviation traffic to Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad. It has won the Asia Pacific award for the Most improved Airport.

9. Cochin International Airport - This airport is serving the state of Kerala. It is located in Kochi. It is India's first airport which is built under a public-private partnership.           

10. Agatti Airport - Agatti Airport is located on the beautiful island of Agatti in the union territory of  Lakshadweep. It is spread over 45.9 acres. This is a single terminal airport having a capacity of 25 departures as well as arrivals.

List of All International Airports of India

Currently, a total of 34 operational airports are operating in India. The list of all international airports of India is given below: The names of international airports in India are mentioned along with their locating cities.

Impact on Airports During COVID-19 Outbreak

Indian airports and airlines are a support system to the Indian economy. It employs the country. COVID-19 pandemic affected the revenue of airports. Many airports were temporarily closed to curb the spread of the outbreak. Although the central government and state governments conducted several flights for the evacuations and rescue operations for the thousands of Indian citizens who were stuck abroad. Indian government evacuated Indians from abroad through the Vande Bharat Mission with the help of Air India. On the other hand, many airlines have faced losses due to the lockdowns in the country caused by the ongoing pandemic. 

Did You Know?

• UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) is the regional scheme by the Indian government to develop and maintain small regional airports. UDAN has an objective that every common citizen of the country can fly. 

• The Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport of Mumbai and the Indira Gandhi International Airport of Delhi handles more than half of the air traffic in South Asia.

• Eight pre-independence airlines were Deccan airlines, Bharat Airways, Himalayan Aviation, Domestic wing of Air India, Air services of India, Indian national airways, Airways India, and Kalinga airlines.

• Jyotiraditya Scindia (as per record of July 2021) is the present civil aviation Minister of India.