Rapid growth of air travel over the years has led India to the forefront of aviation business. At present, India is the world’s ninth largest aviation market with more than 80 operational airports and 17 airports with international operations. India’s aviation industry caters to nearly 122 million domestic and 47 million international passengers. Over the next decade, this could reach 337 million domestic and 84 million international passengers.  

This growth has also led to the sector being responsible for 10 percent of India’s transport sector emissions and it is expected to increase with the projected growth scenario of Indian aviation industry. However, the aviation industry has already started moving towards greener practices to combat this and it has the potential to be a pioneer of carbon neutrality.

As part of its sectoral deep dive the India GHG Program is conducting working group meetings with Aviation sector stakeholders.  The first meeting on 10 March 2016 in New Delhi is being conducted in collaboration with founding members Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) and Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) on the role of airports in helping the industry transition towards greener aviation. The group will deliberate on the problems, opportunities and potential next steps in aviation GHG emission management, share experiences and disseminate knowledge on best practices.  

While airlines emission accounts for majority of the GHG emissions in the aviation sector, airports are the nodal point for aviation activities. Since airports and airport related development activities play a significant role in GHG emissions, any effort by airports aimed at managing and reducing emissions will in turn enable stakeholders of airport business to do the same effectively.