India To Build 100 New Airports In 10 Years Under UDAN With Rs 30,000 Crore

Naidu made the announcement while inaugurating India’s third ‘hub & spoke’ operations from Ahmedabad airport, aimed at providing passengers from across the country seamless connectivity to international destinations.

“While there were 74 airports in 2014, today we can proudly say that India’s map features 166 airports. Going from 74 to 166 set a record for the country. Over the last 12 years, we completed work on a new airport or a new terminal roughly every 40 days,” Naidu said at the event.

“This 12-year journey was merely the beginning for the Ministry of Civil Aviation. We have expanded upon the revolutionary changes brought to the air travel sector by the ‘UDAN’ scheme over the past decade. Looking ahead, we plan to spend approximately Rs 30,000 crore over the next 10 years to build 100 new airports,” he said.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved in March this year the launch and implementation of the Regional Connectivity Scheme - Modified UDAN for a period of 10 years from FY 2026-27 to FY 2035-36, with a total outlay of Rs 28,840 crore and budgetary support from the Centre.

The Ahmedabad initiative is the third ‘hub & spoke’ operation in the country. The strategy is aimed at transforming India into a global aviation hub by providing seamless international connectivity to passengers from across the country through Indian hub airports.

Naidu said civil aviation is the fastest-growing sector in the country and that public demand is no longer limited to railway stations or train stops, with people increasingly seeking airports in their own towns.

“And this demand is not limited to major cities -- it comes from tier-2 and tier-3 cities, Himalayan regions, remote areas, and islands like Lakshadweep and Andaman. Everywhere, people are asking when an airport will be constructed in their area. This is the voice of modern India. We are listening to it, formulating policies accordingly, and moving forward,” he said.

While India is rapidly expanding its airport network, Naidu said the real challenge lies not in construction but in ensuring that these airports are effectively connected, both domestically and internationally.

“When addressing the need for convenience, we recognised the immense potential of the ‘hub-and-spoke’ model,” he said.

Explaining the model, Naidu said international flights typically operate from major cities. Delhi, for instance, offers direct connectivity to 54 destinations.

“However, aspirations have grown; people now want international flights to start from existing airports and desire better domestic connectivity from airports that already handle international traffic. By integrating these needs, we initiated the hub-and-spoke model,” he said.

The scheme began with Varanasi and Amritsar, where it received a very positive response, the minister said.

After launching operations at the two locations, Ahmedabad was considered an ideal choice because the NRI community from the city and Gujarat is spread across the globe, while the ministry had been receiving constant requests for connectivity from the region.

“I am confident that the figures we see here will surpass those of any other airport in the country operating on such a large-scale ‘hub-and-spoke’ model. We are moving forward with a focus on passenger convenience, and you will see the results of this transformation firsthand,” Naidu said.

Naidu stressed that India’s civil aviation sector is the fastest-growing sector in the country and that its strength lies in its ability to generate significant economic activity and employment.

“Its impact extends across various sectors, connecting a diverse range of people to the airport within a city. Advancing airports and aviation means advancing the entire nation - such is the power of our civil aviation sector,” he said, adding that Gujarat plays a pivotal role in the National Civil Aviation Policy.

The planned expansion under Modified UDAN, alongside the hub-and-spoke model, marks the next phase of India’s airport and aviation network development, with passenger connectivity remaining a central focus.