Airports Authority of India (AAI) is planning to expand Hindon Airport as it nears saturation, officials said Monday, as published by Hindustan Times.
The airport, which accommodates around 600 daily passengers against its capacity of 700 to 800, is set to add a new route to Bhubaneswar, with airlines already accepting bookings.
Since its launch in October 2019 under the regional connectivity scheme, Hindon Airport has expanded its network to include flights to Kolkata, Chennai, Goa, Bengaluru (two routes), Mumbai and Jammu. It has also operated flights to Adampur, Nanded, Kishangarh, Ludhiana and Bathinda since early 2024. The facility utilizes the Indian Air Force’s Hindon airbase runway, limiting civil flight operations to daylight hours while the airstrip serves military purposes at night.
“We expect to reach full capacity soon, and an expansion plan is under review at the headquarters level,” said Umesh Yadav, director of the civil airport. “To manage the increasing number of passengers beyond our current capacity of 150 each for arrivals and departures, we have added more seating and security resources and doubled capacity using local resources.”
Yadav noted that the demand for new routes has been strong, with load factors reaching 80% to 90%. He added that additional airlines have shown interest in operating from Hindon, making expansion essential. The proposed plan aims to double passenger capacity, contingent on factors such as land availability, parking space, flight volume and airline requirements. While the runway remains adequate, the terminal building requires enhancement. The proposal is currently undergoing departmental reviews, including assessments by the Indian Air Force.
Local officials have also raised concerns about infrastructure surrounding the airport. Issues such as traffic congestion on Wazirabad Road, inadequate signage, last-mile connectivity, and other civic improvements were flagged during an airport advisory committee meeting in February.
Ghaziabad Member of Parliament Atul Garg has urged AAI to improve connectivity by adding flights to cities such as Varanasi, Ayodhya, Prayagraj and Lucknow.
Located about 25 kilometers from New Delhi, Hindon Airport is accessible via the Hindon elevated road, the Anand Vihar-Mohan Nagar link road and the Delhi Metro. The airport is expected to gain direct connectivity to the Sahibabad station of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) by June 2025, when full operations commence between Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut.
Officials said the expansion plan will also consider factors such as the availability of nearby land, parking facilities, and the number of flights required by airlines. Additionally, they have identified the need for more security machines and seating arrangements in response to the rising passenger volume.