Senior IAS Officer Vipin Kumar Takes Charge As Chairman of Airports Authority of India

New Delhi: Vipin Kumar, an IAS officer of 1996 batch, Bihar cre took over as Chairman of Airports Authority of India on Monday.

Prior to this appointment, Kumar was serving as ditional Secretary,Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education, Government of India.

In a post on X, Airport Authority of India welcomed new chairman and said, “ Airports Authority of India extends a warm welcome to Vipin Kumar, IAS, as he assumed charge of Chairman AAI, today. With his profound experience and visionary leership, he is poised to steer organisation towards unprecedented heights and progressive milestones.”

 Who is IAS Officer Vipin Kumar?

Vipin Kumar, who previously served as Chairman of Bihar Bridge Construction Corporation, Managing Director of Bihar Milk Cooperative Federation (SUDHA), and Director of Mid-Day Scheme in Bihar, holds a degree in Electronics & Communication Engineering.

In his new role as Chairman of Airports Authority of India (AAI), Kumar will spearhe initiatives aimed at achieving AAI's objectives, including development of world-class airport infrastructure, enhancement of air navigation services, and provision of exceptional passenger amenities nationwide. His leership will be crucial in vancing Indian aviation sector in line with Prime Minister's vision for Viksit Bharat-2047.

AAI Mans 133 Airports

Established by an Act of Parliament, Airports Authority of India came into existence on April 1, 1995, through merger of former National Airports Authority and International Airports Authority of India. This merger created a unified organization responsible for creation, upgring, maintenance, and manment of civil aviation infrastructure both on ground and in air.

Currently, AAI mans 133 airports, of which 110 are operational, while remaining 23 are n-operational. operational airports include 28 civil enclaves and 8 airports under private manment (2 joint venture airports and 6 public-private partnership airports on long-term leases). Among 110 operational airports, 35 facilitate international flights.

AAI oversees air navigation services across 2.8 million square nautical miles of air. In fiscal year 2023-24, AAI mand aircraft movements totaling 10,53,960 (including 1,03,750 international and 9,50,210 domestic), handled 130.67 million passengers (15.09 million international and 115.58 million domestic), and processed 688.38 thousand metric tons of freight (338.85 thousand metric tons international and 349.53 thousand metric tons domestic).