GMR Airports Plans ₹19,400-Crore Expansion, Delhi & Hyderabad Capacity Set For Major Boost

New Delhi: GMR Airports Ltd plans to invest up to Rs 19,400 crore to expand and modernise its airports in New Delhi and Hyderabad over the next five to seven years.

The investment reflects the company’s confidence in India’s fast-growing aviation market. GMR Airports is considered a major rival to Adani Airport Holdings Ltd.

Hyderabad Gets Bigger Share

Around Rs 13,800 crore will be invested in Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Saurabh Chawla, GMR Airports’ executive director for finance and strategy, said in an interview.

The expansion is expected to increase the airport’s annual passenger capacity to nearly 80 million. It currently handles around 34 million passengers annually.

The company also plans to spend up to Rs 5,600 crore on upgrading New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.

The respective airport ventures will fund the projects through a combination of debt and equity. The expenditure will not be directly tied to GMR Airports, which serves as the holding company.

Aviation Demand Rising

India is the world’s third-largest domestic aviation market after the US and China. Government estimates suggest passenger traffic could grow six-fold to around 1.1 billion over the next 14 years.

The country’s commercial aircraft fleet is also expected to rise from about 400 planes in 2014 to over 2,350 by 2040.

GMR is India’s largest airport operator by annual passenger traffic, while Adani is the country’s biggest operator by number of airports. Adani reportedly plans to invest USD 15 billion in its airport business over five years.

Nagpur Plans Under Discussion

GMR’s portfolio includes six airports in India, one in the Philippines and another being built in Greece.

Chawla said investment plans for Nagpur airport, which GMR took over in June 2026, are still under discussion.

France’s Aeroports de Paris owns a 26.5% stake in GMR Airports. The company will focus on bidding for airport projects offered by the Indian government.

GMR, however, does not plan to enter the airline business even if regulations are changed. It will instead focus on airports, aircraft maintenance and real estate development around aviation facilities.