Mumbai: Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ramamohan Naidu said in a recent public address that India will expand its regional air connectivity. He said that the country may have 350 to 400 airports in the coming 20 to 25 years.
The minister, who was addressing FICCI’s India Regional Air Mobility Summit 2024, spoke about the government’s intention to extend the regional connectivity scheme UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) for ten years beyond its current expiry date of 2027. “Our vision is to extend the RCS till 2024.” flight plan “We are formulating a new programme to make it more effective, not only for the civil aviation sector but also keeping in mind the common man of this country and making air travel more affordable for him,” Naidu said.
The UDAN scheme, launched in 2016, has enhanced regional air connectivity in India. Highlighting its success, Naidu said, “By operationalising over 583 routes, we are connecting 86 airports, many of which were previously under-served or unserved. Over 1.4 crore passengers have benefited from UDAN flights, over 2.80 lakh flights have been operated under the scheme and viability gap funding assistance of over Rs 3,700 crore.”
The minister also outlined several other major initiatives and developments in India’s aviation sector. India is actively pursuing the development and manufacturing of its own regional aircraft. “We want to build our own aircraft. We are learning from the best and want to make our presence felt in the regional aircraft market,” Naidu said.
Looking beyond national boundaries, Minister Naidu outlined a vision for greater interconnectedness among Asia Pacific countries. “The time has now come to look beyond international boundaries and lay out a roadmap for greater interconnectedness among Asia Pacific countries,” he said.
The minister proposed a hub and spoke model to connect more airports in the region, with major airports acting as hubs and smaller regional airports as spokes. This approach aims to create a seamless network that reduces travel time and optimises resources. Naidu highlighted the potential of the region, noting that it is expected to become the world’s largest aviation market by 2035, with 3.5 billion passengers annually. He called for collaboration to address common challenges such as market imbalances, infrastructure constraints and regulatory bottlenecks.
Speaking about electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL), guidelines for which were recently issued by the DGCA, the minister emphasised that this development puts India at the forefront of emerging aviation technologies. Naidu emphasised the potential of eVTOL vehicles to revolutionise urban air mobility, especially in congested metropolitan areas like Delhi and Mumbai. “If not for longer regional routes, at least within the city, I think these can provide us with a very robust aviation mobility, air mobility network,” he explained.
Vumlunmuang Vulnam, Secretary, Union Civil Aviation Ministry, discussed India’s aviation growth path in detail. Vulnam highlighted the robust growth of the sector, citing 10% annual growth over the last two decades, rising to 11% except during the Covid years. The Secretary emphasised the proactive steps taken by the government, including doubling the number of airports and implementing schemes like UDAN.
Alexis Vidal, Chief Commercial Officer, ATR Regional Aircraft, spoke about the success of regional connectivity in India. Vidal highlighted ATR’s significant contribution to city coupling, a key aspect of regional air mobility. “In the past five years, our aircraft have contributed to creating more than 200 new city couplings across India,” Vidal said. He stressed that this number is more than the routes opened by all other jet aircraft combined. ATR’s success in India is attributed to its aircraft’s ability to operate on short routes with moderate demand and unmatched economy. Vidal also pointed out Future He cited research that identified opportunities for an additional 300 new city pairs, saying this could increase regional air transport by 80 million passengers per year.
Remi Maillard, Chairman, FICCI Civil Aviation Committee and President & Managing Director, Airbus – South Asia & India, emphasised the importance of regional air mobility for India’s aviation growth. He highlighted India’s ideal market conditions for regional connectivity, citing India’s geographical location, demographics and economic growth. He noted UDAN’s success in connecting underserved airports and promoting new business models, while acknowledging challenges such as infrastructure limitations and the need for continued government support to ensure viability.
The minister, who was addressing FICCI’s India Regional Air Mobility Summit 2024, spoke about the government’s intention to extend the regional connectivity scheme UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) for ten years beyond its current expiry date of 2027. “Our vision is to extend the RCS till 2024.” flight plan “We are formulating a new programme to make it more effective, not only for the civil aviation sector but also keeping in mind the common man of this country and making air travel more affordable for him,” Naidu said.
The UDAN scheme, launched in 2016, has enhanced regional air connectivity in India. Highlighting its success, Naidu said, “By operationalising over 583 routes, we are connecting 86 airports, many of which were previously under-served or unserved. Over 1.4 crore passengers have benefited from UDAN flights, over 2.80 lakh flights have been operated under the scheme and viability gap funding assistance of over Rs 3,700 crore.”
The minister also outlined several other major initiatives and developments in India’s aviation sector. India is actively pursuing the development and manufacturing of its own regional aircraft. “We want to build our own aircraft. We are learning from the best and want to make our presence felt in the regional aircraft market,” Naidu said.
Looking beyond national boundaries, Minister Naidu outlined a vision for greater interconnectedness among Asia Pacific countries. “The time has now come to look beyond international boundaries and lay out a roadmap for greater interconnectedness among Asia Pacific countries,” he said.
The minister proposed a hub and spoke model to connect more airports in the region, with major airports acting as hubs and smaller regional airports as spokes. This approach aims to create a seamless network that reduces travel time and optimises resources. Naidu highlighted the potential of the region, noting that it is expected to become the world’s largest aviation market by 2035, with 3.5 billion passengers annually. He called for collaboration to address common challenges such as market imbalances, infrastructure constraints and regulatory bottlenecks.
Speaking about electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL), guidelines for which were recently issued by the DGCA, the minister emphasised that this development puts India at the forefront of emerging aviation technologies. Naidu emphasised the potential of eVTOL vehicles to revolutionise urban air mobility, especially in congested metropolitan areas like Delhi and Mumbai. “If not for longer regional routes, at least within the city, I think these can provide us with a very robust aviation mobility, air mobility network,” he explained.
Vumlunmuang Vulnam, Secretary, Union Civil Aviation Ministry, discussed India’s aviation growth path in detail. Vulnam highlighted the robust growth of the sector, citing 10% annual growth over the last two decades, rising to 11% except during the Covid years. The Secretary emphasised the proactive steps taken by the government, including doubling the number of airports and implementing schemes like UDAN.
Alexis Vidal, Chief Commercial Officer, ATR Regional Aircraft, spoke about the success of regional connectivity in India. Vidal highlighted ATR’s significant contribution to city coupling, a key aspect of regional air mobility. “In the past five years, our aircraft have contributed to creating more than 200 new city couplings across India,” Vidal said. He stressed that this number is more than the routes opened by all other jet aircraft combined. ATR’s success in India is attributed to its aircraft’s ability to operate on short routes with moderate demand and unmatched economy. Vidal also pointed out Future He cited research that identified opportunities for an additional 300 new city pairs, saying this could increase regional air transport by 80 million passengers per year.
Remi Maillard, Chairman, FICCI Civil Aviation Committee and President & Managing Director, Airbus – South Asia & India, emphasised the importance of regional air mobility for India’s aviation growth. He highlighted India’s ideal market conditions for regional connectivity, citing India’s geographical location, demographics and economic growth. He noted UDAN’s success in connecting underserved airports and promoting new business models, while acknowledging challenges such as infrastructure limitations and the need for continued government support to ensure viability.
