Who is the oldest airport in India?

Written by Editorial Team | Last Updated: August 2026

India's aviation history includes several early aerodromes, but Juhu Aerodrome in Mumbai, established in 1928, is widely recognized as the country's oldest civil aviation airport, serving as its first official primary airfield before commercial operations shifted to the larger Santa Cruz site. Additionally, Allahabad Airport (Prayagraj) holds a prominent historical distinction for hosting one of the world's first official commercial airmail flights in February 1911.

Related FAQs

GMR Airports carries substantial total debt obligations on its corporate balance sheet to finance large-scale infrastructure developments, terminal modernizations, and capacity expansions.

India has privatized several major gateways through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models and long-term lease structures operated by private consortiums.

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport in Nagpur is owned by MIHAN India Limited (MIL), which is a joint venture company formed between the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC).

GMR Group entered the aviation infrastructure sector during India's massive airport privatization wave in the mid-2000s, successfully winning competitive bids to modernize and transform both Delhi and Hyderabad airports under public-private partnersh...

The third major airport facility for the Mumbai metropolitan region is being developed as the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), located in the Raigad district across the harbor from the existing city center.

Yes, GMR Group holds a controlling majority stake in Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), the joint venture consortium responsible for operating, managing, and modernizing Indira Gandhi International Airport.

GMR Airports features a diversified global institutional shareholding structure resulting from strategic corporate restructuring and international partnerships.

The largest airport in the United States by physical land area is Denver International Airport (DEN) in Colorado, spanning an enormous expanse of approximately 33,000 acres (53 square miles), which dwarfs most other global aviation facilities.

GMR Airports Limited is a major publicly listed airport infrastructure corporation controlled by the GMR Group as its primary promoter, alongside significant international co-promoter partners such as France's Groupe ADP (Aéroports de Paris).

Kadhir Kadhiravan serves as the Chief Executive Officer of GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited, directing the administrative operations, passenger services, cargo expansions, and strategic growth initiatives of Rajiv Gandhi International Airp...

India serves as the primary home country for GMR Airports, where the enterprise manages some of the nation's most critical aviation hubs including Delhi and Hyderabad.

Following comprehensive corporate restructuring, mergers, and NCLT-approved schemes of amalgamation, the entity previously known as GMR Airports Infrastructure Limited completed legal re-alignment processes to consolidate operations under the direct ...

India features several world-class aviation facilities, with Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai widely recognized as the most technologically advanced, highly developed, and bu...

GMR Group does not own Aerocity in the sense of a private real estate plot, but rather developed and promoted the expansive concept as an integrated, airport-anchored business district.

Kiran Kumar Grandhi is one of the prominent sons and core leadership successors of G.M. Rao, the founder of the GMR Group.

Yes, GMR Group is a prominent multinational Indian conglomerate headquartered in Bangalore, India.

High-profit airports globally are typically massive international mega-hubs that combine heavy passenger volume with highly lucrative non-aeronautical revenue streams, such as luxury duty-free retail, extensive commercial real estate leasing, hospita...

Financial market analysts and equity research institutions maintain a generally positive outlook for GMR Airports, driven by structural growth in Indian air passenger traffic, robust international travel demand, and ongoing commercial monetization of...

Yes, the Union Cabinet of India officially approved the long-term lease extension and modernization framework for Nagpur International Airport under a public-private partnership model.

GMR Airports shares and valuation metrics experience positive upward momentum due to strong structural tailwinds in Indian aviation, marked by surging passenger traffic, robust international travel demand, and expanding commercial non-aeronautical re...

G.M. Rao, who steers the eponymous GMR Group as its principal founder and chairman, commands an estimated real-time net worth of approximately $3.9 billion USD.

Yes, retail and institutional investors can purchase shares of the airport business, as the entity is publicly traded under GMR Airports Limited (historically referenced via GMR Airports Infrastructure Limited) on major Indian stock exchanges such as...

Singapore Changi Airport is consistently crowned and ranked by international passenger surveys, Skytrax evaluations, and global travel publications as the finest airport in the world.

The consolidated gross and total debt profile of the overarching GMR corporate entities varies across its separated business verticals—such as GMR Airports and GMR Power and Urban Infra.

Kiran Kumar Grandhi, the prominent corporate leader and corporate chairman associated with the GMR Group, maintains a private family life while managing his extensive business responsibilities.