GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL) has proposed a capital expenditure of about ₹13,917–14,000 crore for the Fourth Control Period (FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31) at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA). The plan aims to expand capacity and infrastructure to handle rising passenger and cargo demand.
Passenger traffic reached an estimated 30.5 million in FY 2025-26. It is projected to grow to 51.5 million by FY 2030-31, a rise of nearly 69%. Cumulative traffic over the five years is forecast at about 218.3 million passengers.
The existing terminal has a capacity of about 34 million passengers per annum (mppa) and is operating close to its design limits. The plan includes expanding the existing southern terminal toward 40–47 mppa and adding a new northern terminal of about 20 mppa. GMR has also pointed to a longer-term ambition of doubling capacity toward about 80 million passengers a year.
The new northern passenger terminal will cover about 225,000 sqm. It is meant mainly for domestic traffic, with flexibility for international operations. Its estimated cost is ₹5,843 crore, including roads, landscaping, IT systems and support facilities. The plan also includes a second runway of about 3,800 metres with a Category-I Instrument Landing System (ILS), PAPI and Surface Movement Radar (SMR). It will be supported by taxiways, apron expansion and an elevated cross-taxiway of about 650 metres linking the northern and southern areas. Airside works are estimated at ₹2,809 crore.
Other major cost heads include:
- Earthworks: about ₹910 crore
- Connectivity and transport infrastructure: about ₹890 crore
- Utilities (sewage, water, substations and others): about ₹389 crore
- Terminal upgrades and additional aircraft stands: about ₹427 crore
Multi-level car parking is planned to rise from around 2,600 slots to about 5,590. Cargo capacity will also be scaled up, including a second cargo terminal.
Work on the northern precinct is proposed to begin in FY 2026-27. The construction period is about three years, targeting operational readiness by September 2029. Development will be modular and phased according to traffic triggers, using large vacant land parcels north of the current airport. The Telangana government, through Hyderabad Airport Metro Ltd, has proposed extending metro services toward RGIA from Nagole via LB Nagar and Chandrayangutta. GHIAL has said it is willing to contribute to the airport-side segment of any metro link.
The plan was prepared as part of submissions to the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA), which issued a consultation paper in June 2026 and later a tariff order for the Fourth Control Period, effective September 2026. AERA set its baseline Aggregate Revenue Requirement lower than GHIAL’s original proposal and linked recovery of major expansion costs more closely to the actual commissioning of assets. Revised User Development Fees and other aeronautical charges took effect from September 2026. The expansion follows an earlier phase of about ₹9,800 crore that raised capacity to 34 mppa. In August 2026, GMR Airports announced a wider investment plan of about ₹19,400 crore across the Delhi and Hyderabad airports over five to seven years, with roughly ₹13,800 crore earmarked for Hyderabad, to be funded through a mix of debt and equity at the airport-venture level. Final approved figures and timelines may vary after regulatory processes and detailed engineering.
