INDIA will build 100 new airports over the next 10 years under the Centre's regional connectivity scheme UDAN, with an outlay of Rs 300 billion (£2.34bn), civil aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu has said.
Naidu announced this while inaugurating India's third "hub and spoke" operations from Ahmedabad airport on Tuesday (1).
The Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) scheme, which means Let the Common Citizens of the Country Fly, was launched in 2016. A modified 10-year extension of the scheme - Viksit UDAN - was launched in March for 2026–2035 to build more airports and helipads.
"While there were 74 airports in 2014, today we can proudly say that India's map features 166 airports. Going from 74 to 166 set a record for the country. Over the last 12 years, we completed work on a new airport or a new terminal roughly every 40 days," Naidu said at the event.
"This 12-year journey was merely the beginning for the Ministry of Civil Aviation. We have expanded upon the revolutionary changes brought to the air travel sector by the 'UDAN' scheme over the past decade."
Naidu was in Ahmedabad to launch the hub-and-spoke operations, which are designed to connect passengers seamlessly to international destinations. The strategy aims to turn India into a global aviation hub by giving passengers from across the country smooth international connectivity through Indian hub airports.
'Aviation is fast growing'
Civil aviation is now the fastest-growing sector in the country, the minister said, adding that public demand has moved beyond railway stations to airports in people's own towns.
Naidu pointed out that while India is rapidly expanding its airport network, the real challenge lies not in construction but in how effectively these airports are connected, both domestically and internationally.
Delhi currently offers direct connectivity to 54 destinations, he explained, but growing aspirations have led to demand for international flights from other existing airports as well as better domestic connectivity from airports that already handle international traffic.
"By integrating these needs, we initiated the hub-and-spoke model," he said.
Varanasi and Amritsar were the first two cities to receive the scheme, and the response from both, according to Naidu, was very positive.
Ahmedabad was chosen as the third location because of its large NRI community, spread across the globe, and the steady stream of requests for better connectivity from the region.
Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel and deputy chief minister Harsh Sanghavi were also present at the event.
