Northeast India’s principal air gateway is set for a dramatic transformation. The Chief Minister’s Office of Assam has announced that Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (LGBIA) in Guwahati will expand its annual passenger capacity from 3.4 million to over 13 million — a near-fourfold leap.
The announcement repositions the region’s main airport as a credible hub for Southeast Asia connectivity, squarely mapping onto India’s Act East Policy, which treats the Northeast as the physical bridge to ASEAN nations.
A new terminal inspired by local craft
The capacity jump follows the commissioning of the airport’s new terminal, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and brought into commercial operations earlier this year after phased trials of check-in, baggage handling, security and aircraft turnaround systems. The first ceremonial boarding pass was issued to the first departing passenger, while an Akasa Air flight from Mumbai became the first arrival at the new facility.
The terminal’s design draws on Assam’s kopou phool and bamboo traditions, with elements reflecting the Apatani bamboo style of Arunachal Pradesh — more than 140 metric tonnes of bamboo have been used in its construction. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma described the project as a “gamechanger” for Assam’s tourism and economic growth, noting that the culture of the state has been respected in the new facility. The airport is operated by Guwahati International Airport Limited, a subsidiary of Adani Airport Holdings Limited, India’s largest private airport operator.
From gateway to hub
The numbers underline the scale of the shift. The airport currently connects 21 domestic destinations and three international cities — Bangkok, Paro and Singapore — handling more than 130 aircraft movements daily. It ranks among the country’s 10 busiest airports, and in the financial year 2024–25 it handled 6.57 million passengers, including over 91,000 international travellers, along with more than 12,800 metric tonnes of cargo.
The expansion also strengthens the Northeast’s wider connectivity push, which has seen Japan back a Bay of Bengal industrial corridor through Bangladesh’s Matarbari port — a project Abotani TV reported on recently — and the state government pressing for daily Guwahati–Hollongi flights to Arunachal’s Itanagar airport, as earlier reported. With the capacity ceiling lifted, Guwahati moves from being a congested regional node to a mid-size international hub — and the Northeast’s front door to the east just got a lot bigger.
#GuwahatiAirport #Assam #Aviation #ActEastPolicy #NortheastIndia #Connectivity
