The Union civil aviation ministry has extended the UDAAN regional connectivity scheme for another 10 years with an outlay of Rs 30,000 crore, setting a target of creating 100 new airports across India, Union Minister for Civil Aviation K Rammohan Naidu said at the CII Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.
Naidu said the scheme had created a significant impact on domestic air travel and had received praise from several countries. He made the announcement while speaking at the inaugural session of the 31st edition of the two-day summit being held in Andhra Pradesh.
The extension places regional airport development at the centre of the ministry’s effort to expand domestic and international connectivity. Naidu said the ministry was also working to connect India directly with most countries in the global south, particularly nations in Africa and South America, while improving both international and domestic connectivity.
The minister did not provide a state-wise allocation, a list of proposed airport locations or a construction schedule for the 100-airport target in the remarks reported by PTI. The announcement also did not specify how the Rs 30,000 crore outlay would be divided between airport construction, airline support, operations and other components of the scheme.
UDAAN, an acronym for Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik, was described by the minister as a flagship programme for domestic travel. Its expansion is intended to support air connectivity beyond the country’s largest urban centres, although the details of the next phase’s routes, airports and implementation arrangements were not announced at the summit.
Naidu linked the aviation expansion to India’s broader economic transformation and said the country was emerging as a global force because of its young population, digital ecosystem and expanding capabilities in manufacturing, technology and innovation. He also identified artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum computing and advanced manufacturing as sectors reshaping global economic competitiveness.
The announcement has particular relevance for Andhra Pradesh, where the summit was held. Naidu said the state was positioning itself as a destination for investment, manufacturing and innovation. He said Andhra Pradesh wanted to convert investment into production, production into employment and employment into economic progress for its people.
The minister also said the country was at a defining moment in its economic journey and attributed the confidence around India’s growth to the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He described the government’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision as a national mission aimed at transforming the lives of 140 crore Indians.
The next operational milestones for the extended UDAAN scheme will depend on the ministry’s release of airport locations, route plans, funding arrangements and implementation timelines. These details will determine how the 100-airport target is translated into functioning regional air services.
