Government Plans 100 New Airports and Massive Aviation Expansion

Union Minister for Civil Aviation Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu has shared plans to grow India's aviation sector. Government aims to increase the number of airports from 166 to 350 as part of the Viksit Bharat 2047 goal. To help reach this, UDAN Yojana will continue for another 10 years with a budget of ₹28,840 crore.

Aviation sector growth plans

This work focuses on three main parts: building better infrastructure, training, and local manufacturing. Airlines have placed orders for 1,700 new aircraft, creating a high demand for skilled workers. The government plans to meet this need by increasing Flying Training Organisations (FTOs) to train 30,000 new pilots over the next ten years.

India currently has 63 FTOs. New approvals are in progress to keep training quality high through a new grading system. Make in India is a core focus, as the government works to assemble and build aircraft locally to rely less on foreign markets. This plan aims to provide Indian youth with local job opportunities in technical roles, ground handling, and maintenance work.