New Airports Give Boost to Aviation Sector

Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol announced that the annual passenger handling capacity at domestic airports has increased to 580 million. He attributed this growth to expansion and modernization efforts across multiple airports. During 2025–26, around 420 million passengers traveled through domestic airports. Currently, India has 166 operational airports, with 14 of the 25 newly approved airports already functional. Indian airlines operate 860 aircraft, and orders have been placed for 2,056 new planes, of which 427 have already been delivered.

Meanwhile, between January and June this year, a total of 352 serious technical snags were reported in domestic and international flight operations. Of these, 334 were in domestic services and 18 in international services. Akasa Air recorded the highest number of issues at 152, followed by Air India Express with 53, IndiGo with 47, Air India with 46, and Star Air with 29. Other airlines, including SpiceJet, Fly91, IndiaOne Air, and Blue Dart Aviation, also reported technical issues.