India sets sights on 350 airports by 2047 as Delhi’s revamped T2 takes off

THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 25, 2025

Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu on Saturday announced an ambitious vision to expand India’s aviation infrastructure to 350 airports by 2047, underscoring the government’s long-term commitment to transforming the country into a global aviation hub. The minister made the announcement after inaugurating the newly renovated Terminal 2 (T2) at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), which is set to resume operations on Sunday following extensive renovation work since April 2025.

“India currently operates 164 airports and aims to add approximately 200 more by 2047,” Naidu said, noting that the real challenge lies not in building airports but in “how to bring in more aircraft to India.” The upgraded T2 terminal, he added, is a key element in the broader plan to position Delhi and other major Indian airports as global aviation centres capable of handling the exponential rise in air traffic.

Naidu highlighted that the Delhi airport, India’s busiest, is projected to handle a staggering 120 million passengers annually, placing it among the world’s top aviation hubs. The T2 expansion alone is expected to increase the airport’s capacity by about 15 million passengers per year. “Delhi’s IGIA has already joined the elite 100-million-plus club of global airports, with an annual capacity of 109 million. Only six airports globally have achieved this distinction,” he noted.

Reflecting on India’s decade-long infrastructure push in aviation, the minister said, “We’ve built so many airports over the last 10 years that we’ve become experts. You give us land anywhere, and we will build a state-of-the-art airport.” The statement underscores the government’s focus on expanding regional connectivity under the UDAN scheme while simultaneously modernising major hubs.

On the ongoing investigation into the AI-171 crash, Naidu said that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is conducting a “thorough investigation” in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) procedures. While no timeline was provided for completion, he emphasized that the inquiry is being handled with utmost diligence.

In a significant technological milestone, Naidu also revealed that the black box from the AI-171 crash was decoded in India for the first time — a development that marks a major step forward in the nation’s aviation safety and technological self-reliance.

The inauguration of the upgraded T2 terminal not only adds capacity to India’s busiest airport but also symbolizes the broader ambition of the country’s civil aviation sector — to move from expansion to excellence, ensuring that by 2047, India’s skies reflect the aspirations of a developed and globally connected nation.