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Informist, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026

 

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--CONTEXT: Comments by Aviation Minister Naidu at Routes Asia curtain raiser
--Minister Naidu: India's aviation market growing rapidly
--Minister Naidu: Looking to expand to 400 airports by 2047
--Minister Naidu: 66 airports under development at various stages
--Minister Naidu: UDAN a global reference model for regional connectivity
--Minister Naidu: To build 100 more airports over next 10 years
--Minister Naidu: Engaging with nations for better international connectivity
--Minister Naidu: There is room for more capacity, more airlines
--Minister Naidu: Aim to connect tier-2, tier-3 cities internationally

 

NEW DELHI – Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu Tuesday urged global airlines, aviation stakeholders, and airport operators to invest in India to boost connectivity of tier-2 and tier-3 cities with international destinations. "I invite airlines, airports, tourism partners, state governments and the entire aviation ecosystem across the world to participate wholeheartedly, come to India, discover the opportunities, build new partnerships and let us create new routes together," he said at the inaugural Routes Asia 2027 curtain-raiser event in Delhi.

 

The minister said India is today building one new airport or a new terminal every 40-45 days on average, with 166 airports currently operational, showing the momentum of the civil aviation market in the country. "If you look at India's aviation market today, it is large, it is young, and it is rapidly growing," Naidu said. He added, "66 airports are under development across various stages and 100 more airports in the next 10 years (will be built)". 

 

 

Emphasising the momentum of the civil aviation sector in the country and aiming to make flying more inclusive, the minister said the government is on a mission to establish India as the world's third-largest aviation market. "We aim to grow passenger numbers nearly six-fold by 2047, which is from 24 crore (240 million) today to 130 crore (1.3 billion) and nearly tripling the number of operational airports from 165 today and to the upturn of 400 airports by 2047."

 

Naidu said the national regional connectivity scheme UDAN has become a global model. "UDAN is being compared with frameworks such as the United States Essential Air Service Program and the European Union's own Public Service Obligation Framework...there is a room for more capacity, more airlines and more routes," he added.

 

Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik, popularly known as UDAN, is a regional airport development and connectivity programme launched by the Government of India in October 2016 to make air travel affordable and accessible for every citizen. 

 

The government is getting ready to host the Routes Asia event in March 2027, where it expects more than 150 airlines to attend, with representatives from over 55 countries expected. The government also expects over 2,500 face-to-face meetings with the key investors of the aviation sector during this event. 

 

Routes Asia is an aviation sector event that primarily focuses on route development in the Asia-Pacific region by bringing together airlines, airport operators, and tourism authorities to explore opportunities by launching new flight routes.  End

 

Reported by Pratyush Kumar and Sagar Sen

Edited by Himanshi Gupta

 

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