Adani Plans $12 Billion Airport Push as India’s Aviation Boom Accelerates
Key Highlights
- Adani Group plans to invest $12 billion in its airports business over the next five years.
- The conglomerate is preparing to bid aggressively in the next round of airport privatisation.
- Navi Mumbai International Airport is set to begin commercial operations on December 25, easing capacity pressure in the Mumbai region.
The Adani Group is gearing up for a major expansion of its airport business, with plans to invest $12 billion over the next five years as India’s aviation sector enters a prolonged growth phase.
Adani Bets Big on Airports With $12 billion Expansion Plan
Ahead of the launch of Navi Mumbai International Airport, Jeet Adani, Director of Adani Airports, said the group remains strongly bullish on aviation, projecting sustained annual growth of 15–16% across the sector for at least the next decade.
“On the airport side alone, we are looking at an investment of $12 billion over the next five years,” he said, highlighting the group’s long-term commitment to aviation infrastructure, as reported by PTI.
Navi Mumbai Airport Marks a Turning Point
A key pillar of Adani’s expansion strategy is the commissioning of Navi Mumbai International Airport, which is scheduled to begin commercial operations on December 25.
Developed by Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL), where the Adani Group holds a 74% stake, the project has been built at an initial cost of $2.4 billion. The first phase will be capable of handling 20 million passengers annually, with a roadmap to scale capacity to 90 million passengers over time.
According to Jeet Adani, the new airport will be a relief to Mumbai’s existing aviation infrastructure, which has been operating under tight capacity constraints for years.
“Mumbai Airport has effectively been supply-constrained since 2016. With Navi Mumbai coming online, we will finally see some breathing room for future demand,” he said.
Aggressive Play Planned in Next Privatisation Round
Beyond organic expansion, the Adani Group is also preparing for the next phase of airport privatisation, signalling its intent to bid aggressively for all assets put up for public-private partnership.
“We will be 100% aggressive in the next round of bidding for all 11 airports,” Jeet Adani said, reinforcing the group’s ambition to consolidate its position as India’s largest private airport operator.
In the previous privatisation round in 2019, Adani won six airports: Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram, Jaipur and Mangaluru and later acquired Mumbai International Airport from the GVK Group in 2021.
India’s Aviation Growth Story Still in Early Stages
Jeet Adani said India’s aviation market remains structurally under-penetrated, with per-capita air travel significantly lower than that of China.
“The Indian aviation industry airports and airlines combined can sustain mid-teens growth for the next 10 to 15 years,” he said, adding that even partial convergence with China’s travel intensity would translate into exponential expansion across cities and regions.
He also described the growth runway as long-term and structurally supported, rather than cyclical.
Ancillary Services and Defence-Civilian Dual Use
Jeet Adani also noted that the group is separately developing its aircraft services vertical, which includes maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities and flight simulation training centres. While investment figures for these segments are still being finalised, he said the strategy is focused on building long-term expertise.
“We have clearly separated airport infrastructure from aircraft services. That opens opportunities across both civilian and defence use cases,” he said.
More Airports Likely to Come Under the PPP Model
The Civil Aviation Ministry has identified 11 airports, including several smaller ones, for operations under the public-private partnership model. Separately, the National Monetisation Pipeline envisages leasing up to 25 Airports Authority of India-operated airports between 2022 and 2025.
For Adani, these developments align with its broader push to capitalise on India’s aviation boom, positioning airports as both infrastructure assets and long-term growth engines.
