Parliament Question: Growth of Civil Aviation Sector

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 824 th (To be answered on the 24 July 2025) GROWTH OF CIVIL AVIATION SECTOR

824. SHRI P C MOHAN Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION

be pleased to state:-

(a) the key measures being undertaken by the Government to support the growth of the civil aviation sector including the expansion of airport infrastructure, enhancement of regional connectivity and relevant policy reforms;

(b) the projected growth in passenger and cargo traffic over the next decade and the manner in which the Government is planning to accommodate this increasing demand in a sustainable manner;

(c) whether the Government has conducted any assessment of the environmental impact of aviation, particularly in terms of carbon emissions, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter and if so, the details thereof;

(d) the current share of the civil aviation sector in country's total greenhouse gas emissions and the expected trajectory of these emissions over the next ten years; and

(e) the initiatives taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to reduce aviation-related emissions including promotion of Sustainable Aviation Fuel

(SAF), carbon offset programs and the adoption of green airport practices in line with global climate commitments? ANSWER Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION (Shri Murlidhar Mohol)

(a) & (b): According to IATA's June 2025 report 'Aviation in India', passenger traffic to, from, and within India is projected to grow at 5.6% annually through 2044. Additionally, Air cargo throughput is expected to reach 5.65 MMT by FY 2034-35, with a CAGR of 5%. To support theprojected increase in passenger traffic and cargo volumes, the Government of India has taken various measures, such as grant of 'In-Principle' approval of new Greenfield airports, upgradation and modernisation of existing airports, development/revival of unserved/underserved airports under Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) - UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) and promoting private investments in existing and new airports through the Public Private Partnership (PPP).

Further, the Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) guidelines announced in 2021 enhance transparency and remove royalty charges at AAI airports. IGST on imported aircraft parts has been reduced to 5%, while timelines for export and reimport of goods for repairs have been extended to one year and five years, respectively.

(c) & (d): The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has submitted India's Fourth Biennial Update Report (BUR-4) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in December 2024, wherein it was mentioned that the contribution from civil aviation sector was 0.59% during 2011-2020. As per BUR-4, emissions reported from civil aviation were 11.959 million tons carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq), which was 0.40 % of total national emissions.

(e): The National Biofuels Coordination Committee under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has recommended blending Sustainable Aviation Fuel with ATF for international flights, targeting 1% by 2027, 2% by 2028, and 5% by 2030. Additionally, India has joined ICAO's programme for sustainable aviation fuels and will participate in the mandatory phase of CORSIA from 2027 to help offset and limit CO2 emissions from international civil aviation.

Indian airports are actively working towards carbon neutrality and Net Zero.

Bengaluru Airport has achieved the highest Level 5 ACI Carbon Accreditation, while Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad airports hold Level 4+ and are carbon neutral. Currently, 88 airports in India use 100% green energy to minimize the aviation sector's overall carbon footprint.

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