According to media sources, India is expected to add close to 80 airports in the following four to five years.
The number of airports in the nation has expanded from 74 to 141 over the past eight years, and according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, that number will reach 220 in the following four to five years.
The Civil Aviation Ministry has given ‘in-principle’ approval for the setting up of 21 greenfield airports across the country, including Mopa in Goa; Navi Mumbai, Shirdi, and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra; Kalaburagi, Vijayapura, Hassan, and Shivamogga in Karnataka; Dabra in Madhya Pradesh; Kushinagar and Noida (Jewar) in Uttar Pradesh; Dholera and Hirasar (Rajkot) in Gujarat; Karaikal in Puducherry; Dagadarthi (Nellore), Bhogapuram and Orvakal (Kurnool) in Andhra Pradesh; Durgapur in West Bengal; Pakyong in Sikkim; Kannur in Kerala; and Hollongi (Itanagar) in Arunachal Pradesh.
So far, eight greenfield airports — namely Durgapur, Shirdi, Sindhudurg, Pakyong, Kannur, Kalaburagi, Orvakal, and Kushinagar — have been put into operation.
According to the Aviation Ministry, permission has been granted to the Himachal Pradesh government for the construction of a new greenfield airport at Nagchala, Mandi, during the fiscal year 2022–2023.
Under India’s UDAN regional aviation scheme, an additional 35 airports, helipads, and other facilities are planned for development during FY 2022–2023.