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Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday claimed that India is poised for a substantial surge in domestic air travel, with the number of passengers expected to double to approximately 300 million annually by 2030.

 

Addressing the inaugural session of Wings India 2024, a civil aviation conclave and exhibition, Scindia highlighted India's remarkable progress in the aviation sector under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership over the past decade.

 

During the event held in Hyderabad, Scindia announced that the current count of airports and waterdromes in the country, presently at 149, is anticipated to surpass 200. He emphasized that even with 300 million domestic passengers by 2030, India's aviation penetration would only reach 10-15%, indicating significant untapped potential.

 

The Civil Aviation Minister asserted, "Today our penetration is roughly about 3 to 4 per cent that will grow to about 10 to 15 per cent. We still have 85 per cent penetration to go." Scindia expressed confidence in India's aviation sector contributing to a USD 20 trillion economy by 2047, thanks to the government's proactive measures in capacity creation, bottleneck removal, and simplification of processes.

 

Highlighting the sector's impressive growth in the last decade, Scindia noted a 15% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) in domestic air passenger traffic and 6.1% in international air passenger traffic. Currently, India stands as the third largest domestic civil aviation market globally and the seventh largest international civil aviation market. When combined, India ranks as the fifth largest civil aviation market globally.

 

Commenting on fleet size, Scindia mentioned that India has become the world's largest purchaser of aircraft after the US and China, with the fleet expected to grow from 713 to over 2,000 in the next decade. He praised the government's efforts in modernizing infrastructure, indicating plans to increase the number of airports, waterports, and heliports from 149 to over 200 by 2030.

 

Scindia also launched the Udan 5.3 scheme during the event, underscoring its transformative impact on regional connectivity. Under Udan, infrastructure development has taken place at 76 airports, waterdromes, and heliports, enabling the operation of 517 new routes.

 

The minister highlighted a remarkable increase in Commercial Pilot Licenses (CPLs), reaching 1,622 in 2023—an impressive 40% rise from the previous year's figure of 1,165 CPLs.

 

Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation General (retd) V K Singh and Telangana Roads and Buildings Minister K Venkat Reddy also addressed the gathering, emphasising the sector's significance and growth trajectory.