AAI Manager (Commercial) 2026 Free Guess Paper

The Airports Authority of India opened only 9 vacancies for the Manager (Commercial) post in the 2026 cycle. Direct previous year question papers for this exact post barely exist. A candidate who plans around this gap gains a real edge over one who studies at random.

TL;DR

• The exam carries 120 marks, 120 questions, and a 120-minute duration, with no negative marking.
• Part A and Part B each hold 50% weightage, at 60 marks apiece.
• Part B splits into five domains. Marketing Management alone carries 30% weightage (18 marks), the largest single share.
• Practice questions on Segmentation-Targeting-Positioning (STP) and Porter’s generic strategies dominate the Marketing Management portion.
• Manager-specific PYQs are scarce. Junior Executive papers from the same recruitment cycle fill this gap for Part A.
• The post carries a pay scale of ₹60,000 to ₹1,80,000 (Group-A, E-3 level), with an approximate annual CTC of ₹21 lakh.

Eligibility and Vacancy Snapshot

A candidate qualifies for AAI Manager Commercial in one of two ways. The first path needs a graduate degree plus a full-time, two-year MBA with a marketing specialization. The second path needs a full-time regular B.Tech in any branch, plus three years of work experience in marketing, sales, business development, real estate leasing, or contract and procurement work.

The maximum age limit stands at 32 years, calculated against the notification’s cutoff date. Category-based age relaxation applies as per standard AAI rules. With only 9 seats open nationwide for this post, the selection ratio stays tight, and this raises the value of a focused Part B strategy over broad, unfocused reading.

AAI Manager Commercial 2026 Exam Pattern

The AAI Manager Commercial 2026 exam pattern follows a two-part, objective-type Computer-Based Test (CBT). The table below lists the structure.

Part A tests general ability. Part B tests domain knowledge tied to the Commercial discipline. A candidate must clear both sections well, since each carries equal weight in the final score.

Part A Subject-Wise Split

Part A divides its 60 questions across four equal blocks.

Each subject holds identical weight. A candidate cannot skip any one of these four areas without a direct cost to the overall score.

Part B Weightage: Where the Marks Concentrate

Part B, the professional knowledge section, splits its 60 marks across five domains. Marketing Management takes the largest share, and this changes how a candidate should divide study hours.

The Legal section draws its questions from four named acts: the Public Premises Act 1971, the Indian Contract Act 1872, the Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996, and the Land Acquisition Act. A candidate does not need deep legal analysis here. Past question patterns from related law papers show simple, direct questions on these acts, not layered case-based ones.

What the PYQ Pattern Reveals About Marketing Management

A 15-question marketing strategy practice set, built to mirror the AAI Manager Commercial 2026 Part B pattern, shows a clear topic concentration. Six of the fifteen questions test STP concepts directly. Three more test positioning as a standalone idea. The remaining six spread across Porter’s generic strategies, strategic fit, core competency, and competitive dynamics such as entry barriers and predatory pricing.

This concentration matters because Marketing Management already carries the highest weightage in Part B. A candidate who masters the STP framework and positioning theory covers roughly 60% of the topic clusters tested in this domain, and this directly raises the marks secured from the highest-weighted Part B subject.

AAI Manager Commercial Selection Process and Salary

The selection process runs in two stages: the CBT, followed by an interview for shortlisted candidates. AAI does not add a separate skill test or physical test for the Commercial discipline, unlike some other Manager posts.

The post falls under Group-A, E-3 level, with a pay scale of ₹60,000 to ₹1,80,000 under the Industrial Dearness Allowance (IDA) structure. The approximate annual cost to company runs near ₹21 lakh, once dearness allowance, house rent allowance, provident fund contribution, gratuity, and medical benefits get added to the base pay. The application fee for the 2026 cycle stands at ₹1,000 for all categories.

Building a Two-Month Study Plan Around Scarce PYQs

Manager Commercial-specific PYQs stay hard to find, since AAI runs this post at a smaller vacancy count than most other Manager disciplines. A candidate can close this gap with three concrete moves.

1. Use Junior Executive previous year papers from the same recruitment line. The JE non-technical section (Part A) sits at the same difficulty level as the Manager Part A. Papers exist across postings such as ATC, Airport Operations, Commercial, Finance, Law, and HR. Twenty such papers, at 60 non-technical questions each, produce 1,200 practice questions for Part A alone.
2. Use Law-specific previous papers, including JE Law papers, to build familiarity with how AAI frames questions on the four named acts. Question difficulty in these papers stays at a direct, factual level rather than a case-study level.
3. Assign study hours by Part B weightage rather than by personal comfort. Marketing Management earns the most hours, given its 30% share, followed by Procurement and Finance at 20% each, then Legal and Aviation/General Management at 15% each.

A visible weekly target sheet, placed where a candidate studies daily, keeps this plan on track better than a mental checklist. Marking off each completed topic builds a visible, measurable sense of progress across the two-month window.

Common Questions

Is there negative marking in the AAI Manager Commercial exam? No. The exam carries no negative marking for wrong answers.

What is the AAI Manager Commercial eligibility criteria? A candidate needs a graduate degree plus a full-time two-year MBA in marketing, or a B.Tech in any branch plus three years of relevant work experience in marketing, sales, business development, real estate leasing, or contract and procurement.

How many vacancies exist for AAI Manager Commercial 2026? Nine vacancies exist for this post in the current recruitment cycle.

What is the AAI Manager Commercial salary? The post carries a pay scale of ₹60,000 to ₹1,80,000 under Group-A, E-3 level, with an approximate annual CTC of ₹21 lakh.

Where can a candidate find AAI Manager Commercial previous papers? Dedicated papers for this exact post remain limited. Junior Executive papers from the same recruitment cycle, along with general law previous papers, cover the closest available match for Part A and the Legal section of Part B.

What This Means for Candidates Preparing Now

The small vacancy count for Manager Commercial raises the cost of an unfocused study plan. A candidate who studies all Part B domains with equal effort spends time inefficiently, given that Marketing Management alone carries 30% of Part B marks. The path forward stays clear: build Part A speed through Junior Executive papers, anchor Part B around STP and positioning theory for Marketing Management, and treat the Legal, Finance, Procurement, and Aviation/General Management sections as high-yield but lower-weighted supporting areas. A two-month window gives enough time to execute this plan, provided the study hours match the weightage table rather than personal preference.