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India's Aviation Boom: Passenger Traffic to Grow Six-Fold by 2047, Says Naidu
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CNBC TV18•29-09-2026, 15:42
India's Aviation Boom: Passenger Traffic to Grow Six-Fold by 2047, Says Naidu
- •India's aviation market is expanding faster than airlines can add capacity, with passenger traffic projected to increase six-fold to 130 crore by 2047.
- •Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu announced plans to nearly triple the number of airports to 400 by 2047, with 66 under development and 100 more in the pipeline.
- •India is constructing a new airport or terminal every 40-45 days, aiming to become the world's third-largest aviation market.
- •Regional connectivity has significantly improved through the UDAN scheme, while international connectivity is expanding via bilateral agreements, including increased services with Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.
- •The country has added 55 new international routes in the last 15 months and resumed direct scheduled flights with China, demonstrating robust growth in air travel demand.
Key Questions Answered
The Indian government aims to increase passenger numbers six-fold from around 24 crore currently to 130 crore by 2047, while expanding the number of operational airports to 400.
India increased weekly air service capacity with Azerbaijan from seven to 21 services and with Uzbekistan from 18 to 28 services. Additionally, the agreement with Indonesia was changed to seat-based limits allowing up to 15,000 seats in each direction.
Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu described the regional connectivity UDAN scheme as a "global reference model" that has successfully expanded regional aviation network connectivity across the country.
