India to Invest Over ₹92,000 Crore to Build and Upgrade Airports

The Indian government plans to spend more than ₹92,000 crore on building new airports and upgrading existing ones, according to Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu. He expects the country to have 200 operational airports by 2025, with another 200 planned over the next 20 to 25 years.

At an event organized by the French Aerospace Industries Association (GIFAS), Naidu highlighted the rapid growth of airport infrastructure, including new greenfield airports in underserved areas and modernization projects in major cities.

ADVERTISEMENT

Be part of our community by downloading and registering on the Angel One app. Your support helps us keep delivering quality content.

He also noted that airlines have increased their capacity by nearly 9% this year, offering 240 million seats for both domestic and international travel. With over 1.4 billion people, diverse geography, and growing economic regions, Naidu believes India’s air traffic is poised for significant growth.

Major airlines like IndiGo, Air India, and Akasa have nearly 1,700 aircraft on order from Airbus and Boeing, and this number could rise to 2,000 by March 2025, according to aviation consultancy firm CAPA.

Naidu mentioned ongoing discussions with Pratt & Whitney (PW) to expedite the maintenance and repair of engines affecting grounded aircraft. “This is a global issue, and we are in close communication with them. We want to get these grounded planes back in the air as soon as possible,” he said. He emphasized that increasing the number of aircraft would improve connectivity and make air travel more affordable.

Currently, over 70 IndiGo aircraft are grounded due to issues with PW engines. Last year, Go First filed for bankruptcy, citing problems with the engines powering the Airbus A320 neo aircraft.