GMR Group to run Hyderabad Airport for 30 more years

GMR Group can run Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad for another 30 years till 2068 as the government has extended the terms of the concession agreement, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL), a step-down subsidiary of GMR Infrastructure Limited (GIL), has received a letter of confirmation from the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) extending the term of the Concession Agreement for operating Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad for a further period of 30 years - from March 23, 2038 up to March 22, 2068, GMR Group said.

This extension is in terms of the Concession Agreement dated December 20, 2004.

The strategically located, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Hyderabad has established the city prominently on the global aviation map, and continues to contribute to the prosperity, growth and all-round economic development of the region, it said.

The release said that Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Hyderabad is now a gateway to South and Central India. It was commissioned in a record time of 31 months and inaugurated in March 2008. The initial capacity of the airport was 12 million passengers per annum (MPPA), which went up to 21 MPPA in 2019 (pre-COVID).

The airport presently is undergoing a major expansion, post which the capacity will get enhanced to 34 MPPA.

The airport has 150,000 tonnes of cargo handling capacity per annum. The airport master plan has the flexibility to increase the ultimate capacity to over 100 MPPA in phases.RGIA is India's first greenfield airport built under the public-private partnership model.

( With inputs from ANI )