The Union Civil Aviation Minister, K Rammohan Naidu, on Tuesday claimed that India will build 100 airports in the next ten years under the central government's regional connectivity scheme UDAN. The scheme will have an outlay of about Rs 30,000 crore.
Naidu inaugurated India's third "hub & spoke" operation at Ahmedabad airport. "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," he 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," the union minister added.
During the Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March, the house approved the launch and implementation of the revised 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 the budgetary support of the centre.
Naidu, during his speech, emphasised connecting passengers seamlessly to international destinations. He said that civil aviation is the fastest-growing sector in the country; the public demand is no longer just for a railway station or a train station in their town but for an airport in their town.
The demand mainly comes from tier-2 and tier-3 cities, Himalayan areas, remote locations, and islands like Andaman and Lakshadweep. Naidu claimed the need as "The voice of Modern India" and assured that the ministry is listening to it and formulating policies accordingly.
Stressing the "hub & spoke" model, the Union Minister said that connectivity plays a major role in today's day and age. Hence, the model is effective in connecting domestic flights to a single hub, which then further makes international travel hassle-free.
The model was first implemented at Varanasi, followed by Amritsar, where it received many positive reviews, the minister noted.
Ahmedabad was an ideal choice for the ministry because a large number of the NRI community from the state of Gujarat is spread across the globe, and there were constant requests for connectivity from the region.
"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.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Deputy CM Harsh Sanghavi were also present at the event.