An airport map that doubled
In 2014, India had 74 operational airports. By 2025 the number had passed 160, making India the world's third-largest domestic aviation market.
Much of the growth came from UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik), the regional-connectivity scheme launched in 2016. It subsidised flights to smaller towns and revived dormant airstrips — operationalising over 600 routes and around 90 airports, and carrying more than 1.5 crore passengers.
New airports, new rules
Greenfield airports at Noida (Jewar), Navi Mumbai, Dholera and Puri are reshaping capacity, while the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024 replaced the colonial-era Aircraft Act of 1934.
The Modified UDAN scheme (₹28,840 crore, 2026–2036) aims to add 120 destinations, 4 crore passengers, 100 airports from existing airstrips, and 200 helipads.
The honest picture
Expansion has outpaced institutional capacity. Audits found only about 7% of UDAN routes stayed viable after subsidies ended, and roughly half of awarded routes never began. A near-duopoly (IndiGo and the Air India group hold about 90% of the market) and a pilot shortage add strain.
See the Aviation sector for the full picture. Sources: MoCA, AAI, PIB.