India has set its sights on an aviation revolution, with the Union government announcing an ambitious plan to more than double the number of operational airports by 2047.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said on Monday that the country currently has 162 airports, and the government’s vision is to build at least 350 within the next two decades as part of its long-term roadmap for a "Viksit Bharat".
Speaking at the Eastern Region Ministers' Conference on Civil Aviation in Bhubaneswar, the minister underlined the pace of expansion in recent years. “In the last 11 years, we saw 88 new airports being built not only in the big cities, but also in tier two and tier three cities of the country,” he said.
Kinjarapu stressed that aviation would be central to the government’s development push. “To achieve the target of 2047 Viksit Bharat, aviation is a very important sector. We are seeing that the biggest growth sector in the country is civil aviation. Nobody is growing like India is growing in civil aviation,” he noted.
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The minister announced new projects in Odisha, including a new terminal at Bhubaneswar airport and an “in-principle approval” for an airport in Puri. “After construction starts for the Puri airport, it will take two years for it to be completed. The state government is very excited to move into the construction of that airport. So, we will support that also,” he said.
He revealed that Odisha has 11 airstrips which can potentially be converted into full-fledged airports, and promised assistance for developing Flight Training Organisations (FTOs) to prepare new pilots.
Beyond conventional airports, Kinjarapu said the government is keen to develop seaplane operations and heliports to improve connectivity in difficult terrains. “In October, we expect two seaplanes to arrive in the country, and we plan to initiate operations in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh. Wherever airports can't be built, we want to start heliports there. In hilly regions and the Northeast, we want at least one heliport in every district,” he added.
On the AI171 plane crash in Ahmedabad, the minister said the inquiry by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) was progressing with “commitment and accountability” but the final report would take another four to five months.
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