Parliament Question: Development of Airports

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 3191 ( TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 6th August 2026 ) DEVELOPMENT OF AIRPORTS

3191. SHRI SELVAGANAPATHI T.M.

Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION

be pleased to state:-

(a) whether it is a fact that the Government is considering to develop more than 350 airports by 2047 and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether it is also a fact that the civil aviation sector is expected to handle close to 500 million passengers before 2030 and move towards 1 billion passengers by 2047 and if so, the details thereof; and

(c) whether it is also true that the Government aims to reduce dependence on foreign hubs for international air traffic and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION (Shri Murlidhar Mohol)

(a): In pursuance of the objectives of Viksit Bharat 2047, airport development and expansion are being undertaken through Greenfield airports under the Greenfield Airports Policy, revival of unserved and underserved airports under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)-UDAN, upgradation of existing airports by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and promotion of private investment through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode. At present, 25 Greenfield airports have been accorded In-Principle Approval, of which 14 have been operationalised, while 6 proposals have been granted Site Clearance.

Further, 95 aerodromes have been operationalised under RCS-UDAN. The next phase of the UDAN Scheme envisages connectivity to 120 new destinations and serving 4 crore passengers over the next ten years.

(b): The Indian airports taken together are expected to handle more than 3000 million passengers by 2046-47.

(c): For the development of aviation hubs in the country, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has formulated an International Aviation Hub Strategy. As part of this Strategy, Hub & Spoke operations have been launched on

25.06.2026. ******