Parliament Question: Expansion of aviation infrastructure and regional connectivity

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 4003 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 30th March 2026 EXPANSION OF AVIATION INFRASTRUCTURE AND REGIONAL CONNECTIVITY 4003. SMT SEEMA DWIVEDI SHRI KESRIDEVSINH JHALA SHRI NAVEEN JAIN SHRI SADANAND MHALU SHET TANAVADE DR. KALPANA SAINI SHRI ASHOKRAO SHANKARRAO CHAVAN SHRI LAHAR SINGH SIROYA SHRI BABURAM NISHAD Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION be pleased to state:- (a) whether Government has undertaken any comprehensive assessment of airport infrastructure capacity in view of the rapid growth of passenger traffic, (in FY 2025, Indian airports handled 412 million passengers and the same is projected to increase to 665 million by FY 2031); (b) if so, the details thereof; (c) whether Government has prepared any long-term roadmap for expansion of the airport network in the country, particularly in view of the stated vision to increase the number of operational airports substantially in the coming decades; and (d) if so, the details thereof? ANSWER Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION (Shri Murlidhar Mohol) (a) to (d): The expansion including augmentation of capacity is carried out by Airports Authority of India (AAI) and other airport operators based on passenger demand, operational requirements and airline demand, in view of traffic growth. During the last few years, expansion projects have been taken up at several airports across the country resulting in augmentation of passenger-handling capacity to over 570 million passengers per annum. In pursuance to the objectives of Viksit Bharat 2047, airport development and expansion are being undertaken through greenfield airports under the Greenfield Airports Policy, revival of unserved/underserved airports under RCS-UDAN, upgradation of existing airports by AAI, and promotion of private investment through PPP. 25 Greenfield airports have received in-principle approval, 13 are operational, and 6 have site clearance. Under RCS-UDAN, 663 routes connecting 95 aerodromes have been operationalised. The modified UDAN aims to connect 120 new destinations and serve 4 crore passengers in 10 years. ******