Airports in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions are set to receive a massive infrastructure boost, with a total investment of US$240 billion, the Airports Council International Asia-Pacific & Middle East (ACI APAC & MID) announced on Wednesday.

Of this, $136 billion will be allocated to Brownfield Development—the modernisation and expansion of existing airports—while $104 billion will go towards Greenfield Development, or the construction of new airports.

This capital expenditure underscores the regions’ strategic focus on addressing the growing demand for air travel and cargo capacity.

The Brownfield Development investment aims to add capacity for 680 million additional passengers and 14 million tonnes of cargo, while the Greenfield Development will support new infrastructure capable of handling 562 million passengers and 57 million tonnes of cargo.

SGK Kishore, President, ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East, said: “The $240 billion investment is not just about creating concrete and runways, it’s about socio-economic development in the region.”

This combined investment will create additional capacity that is set to accomodate 1.24 billion passengers—the equivalent of more than 13 airports the size of Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest airport for international passengers. The 71 million tonnes of cargo capacity equals nearly 14 times the cargo throughput of Hong Kong International Airport, the top ranked airport for Cargo in the world.

This significant increase will ensure that airports in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East are well-equipped to handle anticipated future growth.

Stefano Baronci, Director General of ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East, said: “The investment will create additional capacity in the medium-to-long-term.”