India aims to have up to 350 airports by 2047, says Civil Aviation Minister.
Speaking on the margins of the World Economic Forum in Davos, India’s Minister of Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu, stated that the country wants to construct around 350 airports by 2047. “We intend to construct 50 airports within the next five years, and by Viksit Bharat 2047, when we want to see a developed India, we want to have up to 350 airports,” Naidu stated on Tuesday.
“Our domestic aviation market is the third largest in the world.” He claimed that policy making, a significant influx of capital into the civil aviation industry, and the overall goal of democratising civil aviation in the nation and enhancing regional connections were the main causes of the rise rather than its natural course.
“Over the past ten to eleven years, every sector in India has experienced tremendous growth, and this kind of growth is anticipated to continue for the next twenty-five to thirty years.” We now have 164 airports, up from 74 in 2014. In the next five years, we intend to construct fifty airports, and by 2047, when we envision a developed India, we hope to have up to 350 airports. We have orders for about 1700 aircraft, more than any other nation. We are expanding at a growth rate of more than 10–12% annually in civil aviation alone,” he continued.
Minister Naidu stated, “We want to collaborate,” in reference to the numerous talks that state governments are having with multinational businesses. The goal is for everyone to experience a sustainable, safe, secure, and technologically advanced future while also benefiting from and contributing to significant conversations and debates.
The governments of Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Assam, among others, have been actively interacting with world leaders at the WEF to talk about various opportunities.
To explore various options, Madhya Pradesh government officials met with representatives of Sri Lankan conglomerate Krishan Balendra, Chairman of John Keells Holdings PLC; Hashiyama Shigeto, Executive Managing Director and representative director of Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC); Jay Galla, Co-founder, Chairman, and Managing Director of the Amara Raja Group; Herve Couraye, Advisor to TouchLab; and Jasmin Hume, CEO and Founder of Shiru.
At the WEF, Karnataka’s Minister of Commerce, Industries, and Infrastructure, M B Patil, has also started a number of key meetings.
Under the theme “A Spirit of Dialogue,” the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) will take place in Davos Klosters from January 19 to 23, 2026. Nearly 3,000 people from more than 130 countries are expected to attend, including a record number of world leaders, CEOs, innovators, and policymakers.
