Hyderabad airport may see 50 mn passengers in 5 years

The firm is in process of investing Rs 370 crore for expansion of existing cargo terminal, besides setting up a new one to take the capacity close to 4.0 lakh tons annually

Hyderabad: The GMR Group, which operates the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here, is expecting a rise in passenger traffic to 50 million annually by FY 31, up from the current 29 million in FY 25.

Pradeep Panicker, Chief Executive Officer of GHIAL said the firm is in the process of investing Rs 370 crore for the expansion of existing cargo terminal, besides setting up a new one to take the capacity close to 4.0 lakh tons annually.

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“We are the fastest growing metro airports in the country. We did 25 million (passengers) in 2024 (ended March). This year, March ended 25, we should close at 29 million. As per the projections we have done, we could be hitting close to 50 million by 2031,” Panicker said. The airport already created the necessary infrastructure in a phased manner to handle 40 million passengers. The aerodrome was built in 2008 with a capacity of 12 million.

Last calendar year the airport added close to 3.6 million passengers over the previous calendar year, a rare feat that no other airport except Delhi achieved, he said adding that a team of experts is currently studying ways to increase the airport’s passenger handling capacity without incurring significant capital expenditure, while also enhancing the passenger experience and improving efficiency.

He further said the runway has a declared capacity of 42 movements of aircraft per hour and currently handles 34 to 35. GHIAL, which clocked over Rs 2700 crore operational revenues on consolidated basis last fiscal, is expected to post over 10 per cent growth on topline backed by an incessant surge in passenger traffic.

On a standalone basis, Panicker said GHIAL currently has been earning 65 to 70 per cent of total revenues from the aeronautical side. Regarding Cargo services, he said this fiscal GHIAL is expected to handle 1.80 lakh tons with 20 per cent over last year, with majority coming from international shipping.

According to Panicker, the surge in international cargo was due to the conflict at Red Sea which handles 30 per cent of the world’s container traffic. “I think for the expansion of the existing (cargo) terminal, it will be around Rs 215 crore and for the new terminal, it should be Rs 155 crore approximately. So, total Rs 370 odd crores,” he said.

The Red Sea crisis is a conflict in the region that has disrupted global trade and shipping. The crisis is mainly fueled by attacks from Yemen-based Houthi rebels targeting ships passing through the Red Sea.

The official said the new terminal will be completed by around May this year and may become operational by June or July with all the improvements while the expansion work of the existing terminal has just begun.

Replying to a query, he said the GMR School of Aviation is doing exceptionally well with over 30 to 40 per cent of the graduates being absorbed by the group itself. GHIAL is a joint venture company promoted by the GMR group (74 percent) in partnership with Airports Authority of India (13 percent), the Telangana government (13 percent).