100 new airports: India’s next aviation boom may change how smaller cities travel

Airport Boom

India’s airport map has expanded sharply, from 74 airports in 2014 to 166 today. Now the Centre is planning another major push, with 100 new airports proposed over the next decade under the modified UDAN scheme.

₹30,000 Crore

The Centre plans to spend approximately ₹30,000 crore over the next 10 years on new airports. The investment signals how rapidly air travel is moving beyond India’s biggest cities into smaller and remote regions.

Small Cities

The next airport boom may not be concentrated in metros. K Rammohan Naidu says demand is coming from tier-2 and tier-3 cities, Himalayan regions and islands such as Lakshadweep and Andaman, changing who gets access to air travel.

Global Gateway

Building airports is only one part of India’s aviation ambition. The government is now focusing on connecting domestic passengers to international flights through a hub-and-spoke model, with Ahmedabad becoming the latest major link.

Ahmedabad Experiment

Ahmedabad is now part of India’s expanding hub-and-spoke network, following Varanasi and Amritsar. The model aims to make international travel easier for passengers outside major aviation centres, particularly Gujarat’s large overseas community.