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India’s airport expansion plans need revised seat agreements: Dubai airport CEO

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India’s airport expansion plans need revised seat agreements: Dubai airport CEO


Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports. Photo: media.dubaiairports.ae

The development of airport infrastructure in India and fulfilling India’s ambitions to grow them into hubs that can transfer passengers from different connecting points must be supported by a revision in seat capacities permitted between two countries, said Dubai Airport CEO Paul Griffiths.

“The development of airport infrastructure in India is obviously going to be welcomed because there will be many more points where it will be possible to have direct service to the UAE, particularly to Dubai. Of course, the bilaterals will need some revisions to be able to make the points possible,” he told The Hindu on the side lines of a Airports Council International event.

He was addressing a question on the Centre’s efforts to develop Indian airports as hubs to reduce traffic leakage to major international airports.

The Centre plans to take up 50 airport development projects in the next five years. These include new airports, as well as expansion of existing ones.

Additional seats

The UAE has been pushing for an additional 50,000 weekly seats for Dubai in the bilateral air service agreement. It currently allows 66,000 seats a week between the UAE and India, a quota fully utilised by airlines of both sides. The proposal includes a 4:1 seat allocation formula, allowing Indian carriers to operate four additional seats for every extra seat granted to UAE airlines. This ratio would gradually shift to 3:1, 2:1, and eventually 1:1 over a specified period, phasing in the changes systematically.

Smaller aircraft

Mr. Griffith is also of the opinion that the world is moving away from a hub approach for developing airports as the evolution of aircraft technology has enabled smaller aircraft to connect remote airports in a cost-effective manner.This, he said, will mean that in the years to come the number of aircraft with very large capacities will be fewer compared with the number of smaller aircraft capable of flying long distances.

The UAE’s second airport – Dubai World Central (DWC), or Al Maktoum International Airport, will replace Dubai International Airport (DXB) as its main hub by the mid-2030s. A $35 billion expansion, approved in April 2024, targets 260 million passengers annually by 2050 with five runways, 400 gates, and eight concourses. When it opens after phase one of expansion in 2027, it will have three runways, nearly 120 gates, and a150 million passenger capacity.

Theme-based terminals

Mr. Griffiths said DWC could have different terminals based on country themes such as an India or America. This would entail one terminal for airlines with same destinations. So an Indian theme terminal “would not mean only Indian airlines, but it will cluster flights [of different airlines] in the most effective ways, so the tracks are optimised, as we would want to minimise walking distances.” Similarly, there could be Europe and Australasia terminals.

In 2024, Dubai, the world’s busiest travel hub logged a total of 9.2 crore passengers of which 1.2 crore travelled to India. 55% of airport users were visiting Dubai as a final destination, while 45% used it as a connecting hub.

Published – April 17, 2025 09:57 pm IST



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Tamil Nadu’s installed power capacity increases by 3,000 MW this year

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April 19, 2025

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Tamil Nadu’s installed power capacity increases by 3,000 MW this year


Tamil Nadu’s lignite-based thermal capacity stood at 1,959.16 MW, while coal-fired power capacity was 12,835.49 MW.
| Photo Credit: N. Rajesh

Tamil Nadu’s total installed power capacity was 42,772.20 MW as on March 31 this year, increasing from the previous year’s 39,805.97 MW, according to data from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA).

Of the total capacity this year, coal-fired power capacity was 12,835.49 MW. Of this, 4,320 MW was from the State sector, 5,490.17 MW from the private sector and 3,025.32 MW from the Central sector.

Tamil Nadu’s lignite-based thermal capacity stood at 1,959.16 MW, with a contribution of 1,709.16 MW from the Central sector and 250 MW from the private sector.

Gas-based power plants’ capacity was 1,027.18 MW, with 524.08 MW coming from the State Sector and 503.10 MW from the private sector. The private sector accounted for diesel-based power capacity of 211.70 MW. The State’s overall thermal power capacity stood at 16,033.53 MW as of March 31.

At a recent meeting held by Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) regarding the status of ongoing and upcoming Generation Projects in the State, officials from Tamil Nadu Power Generation Corporation Ltd (TNPGCL) stated that the commercial operation date of North Chennai Thermal Project Stage – III (1x800MW) and Udangudi Thermal Power Project Stage – I (2X660 MW) can be achieved in 2025 itself.

As per CEA data, 1,448 MW of nuclear power capacity came from the Central sector.

The State’s renewable energy installed capacity stood at 25,290.67 MW as of March 31. Of this, 11,739.91 MW was from wind energy, 10,153.58 MW was from solar energy, and 2,178.20 MW was from hydro projects. Biomass, and co-generation bagasse power plants, among others, accounted for the rest of the renewable energy capacity.

Gujarat has taken the lead in wind energy capacity for the second time in a row, with a capacity of 12,677.48 MW.

TNPGCL officials have also told TNERC that the commercial date of operation of Kundah Pumped Storage Hydro Electric Power Project (4 x 125 MW) will be achieved in 2025 itself.

TNERC has suggested that TNPGCL arrange for adequate manpower for smooth operation of new projects as per CEA norms.

Published – April 19, 2025 10:26 am IST



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Is a US recession coming? 5 key questions answered – Times of India

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April 19, 2025

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Is a US recession coming? 5 key questions answered – Times of India


Representative AI image via Lexica

The US economy may be heading into rough weather — and when America slows down, the world feels the tremors. With Trump tariffs putting global trade under pressure and India closely tied to both the US and China, a possible recession in the US can, at the very least, slow down growth rate in India too.Here’s what economists and investors are saying:
5 key questions answered

1. How close is US to a recession?

Five agencies and experts have following to say:

Agency Key Reasons
Conference Board’s Leading Economic Index (LEI) has declined at least 15 of the past 18 months; board says a “significant growth slowdown” is baked in, though a full recession is still not its base case Weakness across manufacturing new orders, consumer expectations, and building permits
Reuters economists’ poll of April 7 puts median probability of recession in next 12 months at 45% – highest since Dec 2023 Tariffs already shaving 0.8 percentage point off 2025 GDP forecasts; business sentiment and capex plans falling
Moody’s Analytics’ Mark Zandi in a March 2025 podcast put recession odds at 40% by end-2025 Tariffs, fading fiscal impulse, and tight credit standards
Bloomberg Opinion’s John Authers says odds of a 2008-style policy mistake are rising; warns “it’s best not to wait for NBER confirmation” 15-month slide in the Conference Board Leading Economic Index, tariff shock to supply chains, and a deeply inverted 2-10 year Treasury curve
Ray Dalio, founder Bridgewater Associates, has said the US is “very close to a recession,” adding that tariffs are “like throwing rocks into the production system” and could lead to “something worse than a recession” if mishandled Tariff shock is crippling supply-chain efficiency; combines with ballooning US debt, a “breakdown of the monetary order,” and intensifying geopolitical conflict — conditions, Dalio says, mirror the 1930s

.

2. US recessions since 2000

Recession Peak Trough Duration (months) Real GDP peak-to-trough Peak Unemployment
Dot-com / 9-11 Mar 2001 Nov 2001 8 –0.3% 5.7%
Great Recession Dec 2007 Jun 2009 18 –4.0% 10.0%
Covid-19 Recession Feb 2020 Apr 2020 2 (shortest on record) –19.2% (q/q annualized Q2) 14.7%
.

3. Can US recession trigger global recessions?

US recessions can go global when they coincide with a systemic financial shock (2008) or an exogenous event (pandemic). Otherwise, spill-overs are milder. IMF has ruled out a global recession.

  • 2001 US recession did not cause a global one. World GDP grew 2.5%, but trade growth collapsed.
  • 2007–09 was a US & global recession — first post-war global contraction (~1.3% world GDP ’09)
  • 2020 Covid lockdown pushed world GDP down by ~3%, deepest since 1945

4. China & India recessions since 2000

Periods of outright GDP contraction (past 25 years)

China

  • Q1 2020 (–6.8% y/y) – first contraction since 1976
    Notes: Annual growth still +2.2% for 2020; 2022 growth just 3% (worst outside 2020)

India

  • FY 2020-21 (–7.3%, with –24% in April–June 2020); RBI classified H1 FY21 as a “technical recession”

Notes: Previous near-recessions

  • 1991 balance-of-payments crisis (real GDP +1%)
  • 2008-09 slowdown (growth fell to 3.1%, but stayed positive)

5. Why a recession in India is different from one in the US

Dimension United States India
General nature of primary shock Financial cycle & consumer credit (housing, credit cards); inventory cycle Supply-side shocks (oil, monsoon), external capital flows, informal-sector demand
Stabilising factors Large: Unemployment insurance, progressive taxes mitigate hit Small; Informal employment > 45% limits social-security reach
Monetary-policy pass-through Fast: Deep bond market, mortgage refinance Slower; Bank-led system, high share of small firms outside formal credit
Job & Wages Unemployment rises sharply but benefits cushion income Job losses push workers back into agriculture/informality, depressing under-employment more than jobless rate
Global spillover A US recession tightens global financial conditions via dollar funding & risk aversion An Indian recession mainly drags on regional trade, remittances, and commodity demand; financial contagion limited by capital controls





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No plan for GST on 2,000+ UPI payments: Govt – Times of India

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April 19, 2025

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No plan for GST on 2,000+ UPI payments: Govt – Times of India


NEW DELHI: Govt on Friday clarified that it is not considering to levy GST on UPI transactions above Rs 2,000. Clarifying on reports, which said govt is considering levying GST on UPI transactions over Rs 2,000, the finance ministry said they are false, misleading, and without any basis.
GST is levied on charges, such as Merchant Discount Rate (MDR), relating to payments made using certain instruments. Effective Jan 2020, the CBDT has removed MDR on person-to-merchant UPI transactions. “Since currently no MDR is charged on UPI transactions, there is consequently no GST applicable to these transactions,” the ministry said. UPI transaction values have seen an exponential increase, from Rs 21.3 lakh crore in 2019-20 to Rs 260.6 lakh crore by March 2025.agencies





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