India is on the way to drastically expand its airport network in the next decade, with the Centre planning to build 100 new airports by 2036. Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said the ambitious expansion will bring the total number of airports in the country from 166 to about 266.
The expansion will be especially focused on developing regional air connections and bringing air travel closer to the people living in smaller cities, remote regions and those areas that are presently underserved with aviation infrastructure.
Speaking at an event marking the launch of the country’s third hub-and-spoke operation from Ahmedabad airport, Naidu said India’s aviation infrastructure has witnessed a huge growth in the last decade. The country's aviation infrastructure has experienced a lot of expansion too. There were only 74 airports in 2014, he said, while there are now 166 airports.
The minister said airline and terminal development has also accelerated significantly. India has completed works on a new airport or new terminal every 40 days during the last 12 years, consistent with the government's aim to grow aviation capacity.
The airport expansion is planned for a ₹30,000 crore investment to be spent
A big part of the future expansion will be the Centre’s regional connectivity programme, UDAN. In the next 10 years, the government will invest about ₹30,000 crore to build 100 new airports.
The Centre had earlier approved the modified UDAN scheme in March 2026 for a period of 10 years with a total expenditure of ₹28,840 crore. The new programme is to build on the gains achieved in the regional connectivity scheme and also to cater to the growing demand for air travel in different parts of the country.
The government’s more general goal is to improve air transportation access to smaller cities and increase connections with large airports in the sky and the world’s aviation centres.
The increase in demand for airports is no longer restricted to India's main metropolitan centres. As Naidu explained, passengers from tier-2 and tier-3 cities, Himalayan regions, remote locations and island territories are increasingly seeking better air connectivity.
Regions such as Lakshadweep and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are also part of this greater demand for better aviation infrastructure.
The minister said people across the country are now increasingly asking when an airport will be built in their region. That demand is influencing the government’s policy of aviation and infrastructure development, he said.
The proposed airport expansion would therefore be of great use in promoting mobility, tourism, business travel and better economic links between smaller cities and larger commercial centres.
Hub-and-Spoke model to improve connectivity
In addition to building new airports, the government is also concerned with how well existing airports are connected. The newly launched hub-and-spoke operations from Ahmedabad are part of this strategy.
The hub-and-spoke model will allow passengers from smaller cities to travel through a hub airport and on to domestic and international destinations via a major hub airport before the end of the journey. This approach is set up to make connections between different hubs so that each regional airport can have a more seamless route, and no regional airport needs to connect to a lot of destinations.
Also, passenger expectations have changed, Naidu said. Travelers are increasingly looking to have international connectivity to be accessible from airports outside the traditional metropolitan hubs, and airports that already handle international traffic need better domestic connections, he said.
The hub-and-spoke model would meet both requirements by integrating regional and international air networks.
India’s Aviation Ambitions
The 100 airports planned to be built are an important step in India’s long-term aviation expansion strategy. Pushing the airport network from 166 facilities today to 266 by 2036 should help airlines to develop regional routes to access and provide more seats to passengers.
But the expansion will also present challenges. Just building airports would not be enough. Airports will need at least enough passenger demand, airline operations, road and rail links, infrastructure, and efficient connections with major hubs.
So the government will not only focus on airport construction, but will also be focused on an integrated aviation network.
With growing passenger demand and growing aspirations for international and domestic travel, the next decade may be a vital one for India’s aviation sector. If the expansion of the country is carried out as planned, it is expected to add around 10 airports every year, taking the national airport network to about 266 by 2036.
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