India plans to expand its airport network from 166 to 350 by 2047, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu has said, as part of the government’s Viksit Bharat vision.
The government will invest Rs 28,840 crore over the next decade to build 100 new airports, with the UDAN regional connectivity scheme extended for another 10 years to support the plan.
Naidu also said a ‘Make in India’ aircraft could become a reality within two years, citing the C295 turboprop aircraft already being manufactured in Vadodara, Gujarat, with a civil aviation version in development.
The minister flagged a growing pilot shortage as a key challenge, with India’s 63 existing Flying Training Organisations producing around 1,625 pilots annually against a requirement of roughly 2,500.
With more than 1,700 aircraft on order across Indian airlines, the government estimates the country will need close to 30,000 additional pilots over the next decade.
To address the gap, the government has approved 11 new Flying Training Organisations, with six more under review, alongside a new grading system aimed at improving training standards.
India’s 63 existing Flying Training Organisations currently produce around 1,625 pilots a year, well short of the roughly 2,500 needed annually to keep pace with fleet growth.
With more than 1,700 aircraft on order across Indian carriers, the government estimates the country will need close to 30,000 additional pilots over the next decade.
The government has approved 11 new Flying Training Organisations, with six more currently under review, alongside a new grading system intended to raise training standards across the sector.
India currently has 166 operational airports, up from 74 in 2014, and the government wants to more than double that number by 2047.
UDAN, the regional connectivity scheme aimed at making air travel affordable for smaller cities, has been extended for a further 10 years as part of this push.
Photo by Ashish Bhatnagar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
