The first commercial flight took off from Allahabad on Feb 18th, 1911. Since then the civil aviation in the country has advanced a lot. Now India is the world third largest aviation market and presently our country has 22 national airlines and 132 airports. More than 120 million flyers book domestic flights every year and more than 180 million travel on International routes. Here are given the list of the biggest and largest airports in India.
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1. Indira Gandhi International Airport – Delhi
The Indira Gandhi International airport located in New Delhi is the largest and busiest airport in India. It has been named after our former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The airport has handled more than 65.7 million passengers in FY2018 and is expected to cross 80 million passengers at the end of 2020. The airport has the longest runway with a length of 4430m and it is spread over an area of 5106 acres. The airport is situated in Palam, 15km southwest of the New Delhi railway station. It was the 12th busiest airport in the world and the 6th busiest airport in Asia. The airport is getting expanded and it is under construction and this would increase the capacity to handle 100 million passengers by 2030. IGI airport has been accredited as the largest airport in India. Delhi airport has three terminals. Terminal 1 & Terminal 2 is used by domestic flights. Terminal 3 is used by international flights. Other services available at the airport include a restaurant, café, shops, duty-free, baggage cart, and medical service.
2. Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport – Mumbai
The Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport is the second largest airport in India inaugurated in 1942 and the airport serves the Mumbai Metropolitan area. It is the second busiest airport in the country and the 14th busiest in Asia. The passenger traffic was about 49.8 million in the year 2018. The airport is named after the 17th century Maratha King Chhatrapati Shivaji and it is situated across the suburbs of Santacruz and Sahar village in Vile Parle East. The airport offers world-class services to flyers. The runway length is 3660m and spread over an area of 1850 acres. It has two operating terminals. T1 is for domestic flights and T2 for International and domestic flight services. It has won the title Best airport in India and Central Asia. The airport handles 950 aircraft movements per day. The airport is operated by a joint venture between the Airport Authority of India and the GVK industries ltd.
3. Kempegowda International Airport – Bengaluru
Kempegowda International airport serving in Bangalore is spread across 4000 acres and it is located 30km north of the city near Devanahalli. The airport was opened in May 2008 and it is named after Kempe Gowda, The founder of Bengaluru. It is a fully solar-powered airport and the third busiest airport by passenger traffic. It is the 29th busiest airport in Asia and handles 33.30 million passengers with 658 aircraft movement a day. The airport is currently undergoing expansion under which new terminal and runway are being constructed to enhance the passenger handling capacity. The airport enjoys direct connectivity to Bengaluru via national highway 44. It has been voted as the ‘Best regional airport in Asia and central India’. The runway length is 4200m and handles both domestic and International runway operations. The airport serves as a hub for Air Asia, Indigo, Air India, and Spicejet.
4. Chennai International Airport – Chennai
Chennai International airport serves the city of Chennai, opened in 1948 and it is located in Tirusulam. It is the fourth busiest airport in the country and the 49th busiest airport in Asia. The airport is an important gateway to the country for people from the south and southeast Asia. The airport has its station in Chennai metro network providing connectivity to the city center. It handles more than 22.5 million passengers per year and 570 aircraft movements per day. It is India’s first airport to have satellite terminals and aerobridges at the domestic terminals. The runway length is 3658m. to meet passenger traffic, two new terminals and one satellite terminal are under construction. Once completed, the Chennai airport would be the first airport to have satellite terminals. The airport is a hub for Spicejet, blue dart aviation, indigo, air India, air India express, and alliance air. The services available inside the airport includes shops, duty-free, information counter, currency exchange, lost & found, vending machines, and security check.
5. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport – CCU
The international airport is located in Dum Dum, West Bengal serving Kolkata metropolitan area. The airport is located 15km from the city center. Earlier the airport was known as Dum Dum Airport before being renamed in 1995. It was named on the honor of ‘Subas Chandra Bose’. It is one of the oldest airport opened in 1924. The airport is spread over an area of 1641 acres and it is the largest hub in West Bengal. The runway length is 3860 m and has two runways, primary and secondary runways. The airport handles almost 20 million passengers and it is the 5th busiest airport in India. The airport is a major center for flights to Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Southeast Asia, and middle eastern cities. The airport was awarded the best improved airport in the Asia Pacific region.
6. Rajiv Gandhi International Airport – Hyderabad
Rajiv Gandhi International airport serves Hyderabad and it is located in Shamshabad. The airport was opened in 2008 to replace Begumpet airport and it is named after former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi. One of the unique features of the airport is during their layover, transit travelers can meet their friends or family members in a village located outside the arrival area. It is the 6th busiest airport in India. The airport is spread across an area of 5400 acres and handles 40 million passengers annually. The airport is undergoing development and soon it will be ready to handle 40 million passengers per year. It is a major hub for Air India.
7. Sardar Vallabhai Patel International Airport – Ahmedabad
The airport came into existence in 1937 and the international flight started service in 1991. Sardar Valla Bhai Patel International airport serves the cities of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar in Gujarat. The airport is located in Hansol, north of central Ahmedabad and it is named after the 1st Deputy Prime Minister of India. It has handled 11.43 million passengers yet making the seventh busiest airport in India. This is the main and largest airport in Gujarat and hub for Air India, Blue dart aviation, Indigo, Jet Airways, and Spicejet. The airport has a runway length of 3599 m. Presently it has two terminals: T1 for domestic flights and T2 for International and domestic traffic. They are interconnected by a 500-meter long travellator. The airport is a focus city for Go Air.
8. Cochin International Airport – Cochin
Cochin International airport was started in 1999 and it features traditional Kerala architecture. The airport serves the city of Kochi and it is located in Nedumbassery, 25 km northeast of the city. It is the busiest and largest airport in Kerala. The Cochin International Airport caters to 62% of the total air passenger movement in Kerala. It can handle more than 10.2 million passengers annually. It is the first airport in India to be completely powered by solar energy. There are direct connectivity flights available from Cochin to the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Although the state has four International airports, Cochin airport continues to be in high demand. The runway length of the airport is 3400m and the airport is the main hub for Air India Express.
9. Pune Airport – Pune
Pune airport is the ninth busiest in India and it is located 10km northeast of Pune. The airport is a civil enclave operated by the airport authority of India and it serves both domestic and international flights, especially to West Asia. The airport has a 2535m long runway and the secondary runway is used by the IAF. Due to the increasing number of flights, they have constructed a new terminal. The airport handles 8 million passengers annually. The amenities available in the airport include shops and restaurants, a post office, baby care room, currency exchange, medical services, and smoking lounges. Under renovation, the length of the runway has been increased for larger aircraft.
10. Dabolim Airport – Goa
Dabolim airport is the sole International airport in Goa and it is operated by AAI and INS Hansa. The airport is located in Dabolim, 4km from the nearest city Vasco da Gama. The airport was inaugurated in 2013 and handled more than 7.6 million passengers. Several chartered airlines from European countries and Russian cities fly to Goa seasonally. The airport is built in 249 acres at the elevation of 56 m. The runway length of the airport is 3458 m. The new terminal and runway expansion will be constructing soon.