India has emerged as the world’s third-largest air travel market, behind only China and the US, driven by surging domestic demand, expanding international connectivity, the advent of low-cost airlines, and policy reforms like UDAN. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), this milestone reflects both market potential and scale. However, we still have a lot of ground to cover. On average, every American takes 2-3 domestic flights per year, while in China, it is roughly one domestic flight for every two people annually; in India, the average is about one domestic flight for every five people annually. So even if we double this average, we will still be far behind the US and China.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) reports that Indian airlines carried about 165 million domestic passengers in 2025, while international traffic added another 70 million, taking overall air passenger traffic past 230 million. The nation’s airport infrastructure must now build capacity to keep pace with this rapid growth.
Navi Mumbai International Airport, Mumbai’s second major gateway, has recently begun commercial operations. Soon, the National Capital Region will host the Noida International Airport, being billed as one of Asia’s leading aviation hubs. Meanwhile, anticipation is building around the third round of airport privatisation. The Centre plans to expand India’s airport network from 163 today to nearly 400 by 2047. While this ambitious target is welcome, our cover story examines its feasibility amid land acquisition hurdles, infrastructure bottlenecks, financing gaps, regulatory delays, and shifts in the global aviation industry.
Elsewhere in this issue, the completion of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) promises to consolidate supply chains across India’s manufacturing and export heartland. In an insightful piece, railway sector expert and retired Indian Railways officer Lalit Chandra Trivedi explains how this will significantly improve synergies in the ports and logistics sectors. Rajashree Murkute of CareEdge Ratings analyses how the Union Budget 2026-27 can have a multiplier effect on GDP by prioritising infrastructure. This includes expanding digital networks, advancing the energy transition, strengthening the urban infrastructure index, and accelerating transport and logistics development.
Another area poised to dominate conversations in the coming months is nuclear energy. Amit Kapur and Sugandha Somani Gopal of JSA Advocates & Solicitors analyse how India’s SHANTI Act seeks to reposition nuclear energy, requiring clarity in rules, regulations, and contracts. The impending digitally connected era will be powered by high-speed internet services and proliferating generative artificial intelligence. Anand Kulkarni of Crisil Ratings explains that while digitisation, digitalisation, and supportive policy are expanding India’s data centre footprint, the next phase of growth will be driven by digital transformation.
This issue also features two exclusive conversations. Guillaume Dourdin, CEO & Managing Director, Veolia India, outlines how the world’s largest water management company plans to double its presence in India through municipal expansion, industrial partnerships, and innovation. Biju Mahima, CEO of U-Sphere—a subsidiary of the 100-year-old Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society Ltd. (ULCCS)—explains how the company seeks to leverage its parent organisation’s expertise and human resources to expand in India and, eventually, overseas.
The Infrastructure Today Airports Conclave was held recently on March 12 in Mumbai. Do look for the report elsewhere in this issue.
