UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Cabinet approves Declaration of Madurai Airport, Tamil Nadu, as an International Airport
Q1. As per the latest available classification, approximately how many International Airports (including international civil enclaves) does the Airports Authority of India manage?
Q2. The March 2026 declaration of Madurai Airport as an International Airport was given by which of the following authorities?
- A. The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister
- B. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)
- C. The Airports Authority of India Board
- D. The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA)
Q3. In the official rationale for its 2026 international declaration, Madurai Airport is most distinctively described as which one of the following?
- A. One of the oldest airports in Tamil Nadu and a gateway to Southern Tamil Nadu
- B. The busiest cargo airport in South India
- C. The first greenfield airport developed in Tamil Nadu
- D. The largest international hub of southern India by passenger traffic
Q4. Among the recent pilgrimage/tourism airports elevated to international status, which one was, on declaration, renamed after a sage traditionally credited with composing an epic?
- A. Ayodhya Airport
- B. Kushinagar Airport
- C. Surat Airport
- D. Madurai Airport
Q5. Which one of the following airports was part of the flagship first set of six AAI airports approved by the Union Cabinet for leasing through Public-Private Partnership?
- A. Thiruvananthapuram
- B. Surat
- C. Madurai
- D. Kushinagar
Q6. Madurai, the temple city whose airport was declared international in 2026, is located in which part of Tamil Nadu?
- A. South-central Tamil Nadu
- B. The northern districts adjoining Chennai
- C. The Nilgiris hill region of the Western Ghats
- D. The northern Coromandel coast
Q7. Under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, consider the following identifications of institutional roles. Which of the above is/are NOT correctly identified?
- DGCA — aviation safety and airworthiness regulator.
- BCAS — national civil aviation security regulator.
- AERA — economic regulation of tariffs at major airports.
- AAI — the body legally empowered to declare an airport as an 'International Airport'.
- A. 1 and 3 only
- B. 2 and 4 only
- C. 4 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3 only
Q8. International-airport status entails customs and immigration infrastructure. As per the latest classification, approximately how many Customs Airports (including customs civil enclaves) does AAI manage?