Govt. targets Rs.4 lakh-cr for airports' expansion

Injecting a major booster to the country’s airport sector, the Union Aviation ministry has chalked out an ambitious plan to expand air connectivity by building about 100 new airports at an investment of Rs.4 lakh crore, Minister of state for aviation, Jayant Sinha said that out of the targeted number of airports, 70 facilities will be located in areas that don‘t have airports currently. The remaining facilities will be either second airports or the expansion of existing ones to handle commercial flights. Country needs to get out of the incremental trap and think for the future and take a long-term view. As of now, India has 100 operational airports and is the fastest-growing aviation market in terms of domestic passenger growth. To tap this, airlines like Indi-Go and SpiceJet will add about 100 smaller planes to their fleet. The government‘s regional connectivity scheme that offers subsidized fares of Rs.2,500 to un-served and underserved airports has also given the sector a big boost, he added.