New Delhi [India], May 13 (ANI): Airports Authority of India (AAI) Regional Executive Director (Northern Region) Ajay Kumar Kapur on Wednesday said that the Northern region continues to play a pivotal role in India's aviation sector, handling nearly 30 per cent of the country's passenger traffic, while major infrastructure expansion projects are underway to meet growing demand.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Kapur said the Northern region accounts for more than 25 per cent of India's total air traffic, around 26 per cent of aircraft movements and nearly 30 per cent of annual passenger traffic.

'The Northern region is a powerhouse of India's civil aviation sector. We handle this traffic every year,' Kapur told ANI while highlighting the region's contribution to India's expanding aviation network.

Speaking about operational challenges faced by airports in the region, Kapur said dense winter fog remains one of the biggest issues, particularly impacting flight operations during early morning hours.

'On foggy days, several flights get cancelled and later clubbed together, leading to overcrowding in airport terminals. We need to manage the combined load during foggy days,' he said.

He added that AAI has put in place several Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to minimise disruptions during adverse weather conditions.

'We have several SOPs in place for foggy days. Early morning flights are affected the most during foggy conditions,' Kapur said.

He further added that the Central Air Traffic Flow Management (CATFM) system is actively being used to streamline traffic movement and reduce operational disruptions during fog conditions.

To address rising passenger traffic and improve infrastructure capacity, AAI is expanding airport facilities across several cities in North India. According to Kapur, new terminal buildings are currently under development at Jammu, Leh, Jodhpur and Udaipur airports.

'Jodhpur is almost ready and is expected to be inaugurated in July,' Kapur said.

Kapur further stated that the new terminal building at Varanasi airport is expected to be completed by December this year or by early January next year.

Kapur also said that the existing terminal building at Varanasi airport will be repurposed for international operations.

Among other major projects, AAI is developing a greenfield airport at Kota, while a new terminal building at Agra airport is expected to be completed by 2028.

Highlighting regional connectivity initiatives, Kapur said the Delhi-Hisar-Ayodhya route has been successfully operationalised under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS-UDAN).

He also spoke about the status of Aligarh, Azamgarh and Kushinagar airports, which are currently non-operational.

'The only constraint at present is the shortage of suitable smaller aircraft in India. We are fully ready to support the airlines. Whenever the airlines start their flights, operations will commence immediately,' Kapur said.

Expressing optimism about Kushinagar Airport, Kapur said discussions have already been held with airlines regarding the commencement of operations. 'There is significant potential at Kushinagar Airport,' he added. (ANI)