India plans to significantly expand its aviation infrastructure, aiming to establish between 350 and 400 airports across the country by the year 2047. Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu confirmed this ambitious goal, highlighting the government's commitment to boosting connectivity, economic growth, and air safety. The target aligns with India's long-term vision for a developed nation, known as 'Viksit Bharat'.^{[1][2][3][4][5]} ### Boosting Connectivity and Economic Growth Minister Naidu announced the target during the first Asia Pacific Region Accident Investigation Group (APAC-AIG) meeting in Delhi on Tuesday, October 28, 2025. He emphasized that this infrastructure push aims to enhance opportunities, foster growth, and improve connectivity while upholding the highest standards of air safety.^[1] The plan represents a substantial increase from the current number of operational airports. As of October 2025, India operates over 160 airports. Recent reports indicate 163 operational airports^[3][6] and some sources even cite 164^[7]. This number has more than doubled from just 74 operational airports in 2014, demonstrating rapid growth in the sector over the last decade.^[3][8][6] The government plans to add approximately 200 more airports to reach its 2047 goal.^[7] The expansion is crucial for meeting the rising demand for both passenger and cargo air travel.^[4] Officials expect the aviation sector to become a core engine of India's projected $10 trillion economy by 2047, supporting around 25 million jobs.^[3] Currently, the sector directly employs about 369,000 people and indirectly supports over 7.7 million jobs across various allied services like ground handling, logistics, and tourism.^[3] ### The Role of Regional Connectivity A key driver of this expansion is the Regional Connectivity Scheme, known as UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik). Launched in 2016, the UDAN scheme aims to make air travel affordable and accessible to common citizens by connecting unserved and underserved airports in tier-2 and tier-3 cities.^[3][8][9][6] Under this scheme, 88 new airports have been developed in the last 11 years, significantly improving regional access.^[4][5][10] The UDAN scheme has operationalized 649 routes and connected 93 aerodromes, including two water aerodromes and 15 heliports, by October 2025.^[3][6] Over 1.56 crore passengers have benefited from these affordable regional flights.^[3][6] The government has also extended the UDAN scheme for another 10 years to further improve connectivity in remote regions.^[11] Future plans under UDAN include integrating 120 additional destinations and serving nearly 4 crore more passengers.^[10][6] The focus extends to seaplane operations in areas like the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh, with two seaplanes expected by October 2025.^[5] Heliports are also a priority, especially in hilly and North-Eastern states where traditional airports are challenging to build.^[5] ### Safety and Future Investments Maintaining high safety standards is integral to India's aviation growth. Minister Naidu noted India's remarkable progress in implementing the International Civil Aviation Organisation's (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices. The country's compliance score has risen to 85% from 70% in 2018, and its global ranking improved sharply from 112 to 55.^[1] The government is backing its ambitious targets with significant investments. India plans to invest ₹92,000 crore, approximately US$11 billion, to develop 50 new airports. T^[12]he Airports Authority of India (AAI) is set to spend ₹25,000 crore (US$3 billion) between 2022 and 2027 to enhance infrastructure facilities. The^[13]se investments are expected to boost demand for materials like structural steel and create thousands of jobs in engineering, design, and construction. Re^[14]cent developments include the inauguration of the renovated Terminal 2 at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport in October 2025, a step towards establishing Delhi as an international aviation hub. New^[7] greenfield airports are also in various stages of planning and approval, such as the in-principle approval for an airport in Puri, Odisha. By^[2][5] 2047, India aims to push annual passenger traffic beyond one billion. The^[3] expansion also includes significant opportunities in Maintenance, Repair, and Operations (MRO), drone manufacturing, and pilot training, which are projected to expand substantially. The^[3] government is also working to increase the representation of women in aviation roles. Th^[15][6]is extensive airport network and robust growth strategy position India to become a global leader in civil aviation, connecting more citizens and integrating remote regions into the national economy.