MENA Newswire, HYDERABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited global investors to partner with India’s fast growing aviation sector, highlighting a decade of airport expansion, rising passenger traffic and new opportunities spanning aircraft manufacturing, pilot training, leasing and maintenance. Modi delivered his message by video to the Wings India 2026 gathering in Hyderabad, telling industry leaders that India now ranks as the world’s third largest domestic aviation market.
Modi pointed to rapid fleet growth by Indian carriers, saying airlines in recent years have placed orders for more than 1,500 aircraft as demand for air travel rises. He framed the expansion as the outcome of sustained government focus since 2014, when his administration began pushing wider access to flying and stronger links between smaller cities and major economic centers. The government has also promoted aviation as a driver for tourism, cargo and wider logistics connectivity.
He said airport infrastructure has more than doubled over the past decade, with the number of airports rising from 70 in 2014 to more than 160. Modi also cited the UDAN regional connectivity program, under which 15 million passengers have flown on routes that previously did not exist, as part of the push to make air travel more accessible. He added that India is preparing the next phase of UDAN and expanding seaplane operations.
India’s latest Economic Survey described civil aviation as on a sustained growth trajectory, supported by rising demand, infrastructure expansion and policy measures that have widened the ecosystem around flying. The Survey said the country’s airports handled about 412 million passengers in fiscal year 2024 to 2025 and projected traffic of 665 million by fiscal year 2030 to 2031, while noting India’s airport density remains low relative to population, underlining continued scope for expansion.
Aviation investment push and manufacturing ambitions
Modi urged investors to look beyond airline operations to areas such as aircraft design and manufacturing, and the maintenance, repair and overhaul sector, as India seeks to reduce dependence on external supply chains. He said India is already a major manufacturer and supplier of aircraft parts and is building military and transport aircraft domestically, while moving toward civil aircraft manufacturing. He also highlighted India’s location on global air corridors and the scale of its domestic feeder network as advantages for companies building long term capacity.
He also linked India’s aviation expansion to newer technologies, citing advanced air mobility and electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft as emerging areas where Indian design and production are being encouraged. In his address, Modi described these segments, along with pilot training and aircraft leasing, as fields with significant potential for investors, with policy stability and a large addressable market supporting the build out of supporting services and skills.
Green fuel exports and aviation climate measures
A central element of Modi’s pitch was the government’s focus on sustainable aviation fuel and what he described as India’s move toward becoming a major producer and exporter of green aviation fuel in the coming years. Separately, the civil aviation ministry has told Parliament that India has approved blending targets for sustainable aviation fuel for international flights departing from India, starting with 1% by 2027, rising to 2% by 2028 and 5% by 2030, aligning the sector with incoming global emissions rules.
The ministry has also said India is preparing for the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, which begins applying mandatory requirements from 2027 for international flights. Officials have described coordination with airlines and fuel producers as part of the transition, while industry groups have said a national roadmap is intended to give clearer signals on demand and improve investor confidence for large scale sustainable aviation fuel production.
Modi also emphasized air cargo as a pillar of the aviation build out, pointing to ongoing regulatory reforms, digital cargo platforms and new warehousing capacity aimed at making movement faster and more transparent. The Economic Survey reported air cargo volumes rising from 2.53 million metric tonnes in fiscal year 2014 to 2015 to 3.72 million metric tonnes in fiscal year 2024 to 2025, reflecting the broader expansion of aviation services alongside passenger growth.
In his closing message to Wings India 2026, Modi again invited global industry leaders and innovators to join India’s aviation journey, describing the sector’s scale and the continuity of reforms as a draw for long term partnerships. The government has set out targets for further airport growth through 2047, and Modi presented the aviation agenda as a core part of India’s wider economic integration and connectivity drive that has accelerated under his leadership since 2014.