A Comprehensive Analysis of Prospects of Development of New Airports in India

Abstract

Airports serve as promoters of development as much as they serve as its indicators. Strategically locating airports helps improve regional connectivity and accessibility, enabling the efficient movement of people and goods, boosting tourism, enhancing trade, and facilitating economic development across various regions. Airports promote cross-pollination of ideas, catalyse need-resource matching, and enable uninhibited flow of human capital. Strategic airport allocation that is in synchronisation with overall national and regional development roadmaps serves to invigorate holistic regional growth, create multi-factor developmental synergies, and contributes to reduction of regional disparities.

Airport development has the potential to create employment opportunities, stimulate local businesses, attract investments, and spark compounding secondary, tertiary, and quaternary economic growth. Choosing a location with consideration for multi-layered socio-economic aspects ensures that the airport can contribute to the development of the surrounding area, precipitating positive social impacts by improving connectivity and  accessibility, benefiting local communities, and enhancing overall quality of life. While performing this analysis, it is germane to envision how these local benefits would translate to, and tie in with, overall regional development and, in turn, fit into the bigger picture of state-level optimal planning, and ultimately be placed in the national context.