Now Reading: GMR Group to expand airports in West Asia, Europe
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GMR Group to expand airports in West Asia, Europe
GMR Group will explore airport and adjacent business opportunities in West Asia, Central Asia, Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia, chairman G M Rao said in the company's annual report for 2025-26. The…
GMR Group will explore airport and adjacent business opportunities in West Asia, Central Asia, Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia, chairman G M Rao said in the company's annual report for 2025-26. The group's airports in India handled 114.6 million passengers last year, accounting for about 25.6% of domestic and 33.9% of international traffic.
GMR Airports operates six Indian airports including Delhi and Hyderabad, plus an airport in Indonesia, and is developing one in Greece. Its Bhogapuram airport in Andhra Pradesh began operations on August 17. The company recorded a consolidated profit after tax of Rs 472 crore in 2025-26, compared with a loss the previous year.
Rao expressed confidence in Indian aviation's long-term growth, citing rising incomes, tourism, infrastructure penetration and government initiatives. The group plans to scale up its asset-light portfolio through operations and maintenance contracts and airport-adjacent businesses such as duty free, cargo and retail.
Indian Opinion Analysis
GMR's push into West Asia and Eastern Europe comes as India's private airport operators seek to replicate domestic success abroad. The Adani Group already runs airports in Sri Lanka and Nepal, and the government's 2021 concession policy allows private operators to bid for overseas projects without prior approval. GMR's pivot to asset-light contracts reflects a shift away from capital-heavy greenfield projects after its Rs 12,500 crore debt restructuring in 2020. The company's residual concession tenures at Delhi (2036) and Hyderabad (2038) provide steady cash flow to fund new bids. The next milestone will be the completion of the Heraklion airport in Greece, expected by 2027.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
