Civil Aviation Minister Unveils Bold Vision: 50 New Airports, MRO Expansion, Skills & Gender Equity Push to Power India’s Aerospace Future
Visakhapatnam, August 29, 2025 (CII Update) – At the 2nd International Conference & Exhibition on Aerospace Manufacturing, the Hon’ble Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, set out a transformative vision for India’s aerospace and aviation sector. His announcements underscored the Central Government’s commitment to building world-class infrastructure, nurturing talent, and creating an inclusive, globally competitive ecosystem.
Key highlights of the Minister’s vision included:
Development of 50 new airports within the next 5 years, significantly boosting regional air connectivity.
Induction of 2,200 new aircraft over the next two decades, meeting soaring domestic and international demand.
Expansion of the Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO) market to USD 4 billion by 2030, reducing forex outflow and positioning India as an aerospace services powerhouse.
A strong push on skill development and gender equity, ensuring that India’s growing aerospace workforce is future-ready and inclusive.
While long-term targets such as building 350 airports by 2047 have been articulated earlier, these immediate, actionable milestones marked a bold acceleration and were uniquely emphasized at this conference.
Complementing the Minister’s announcements, Shri Samir Kumar Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, highlighted reforms designed to enhance India’s competitiveness:
IGST on aircraft parts reduced from 28% to 5%, lowering costs for domestic manufacturers.
A strong move toward single-window regulatory clearances and a focus on carbon reduction, balancing growth with sustainability.
A bold goal to place India among the top 3 global players in aerospace manufacturing, MRO, training, and engineering.
India is already the world’s third-largest air transport market, serving over 174 million passengers annually. The convergence of infrastructure expansion, regulatory clarity, skill-building, and inclusivity creates one of the most compelling growth opportunities for global OEMs, MSMEs, start-ups, and investors.
Dr. Suchitra K. Ella, Co-founder Bharat Biotech and Vice President, CII: “India’s aerospace vision is powered by innovation, inclusion, and PPPs. With Andhra Pradesh’s proactive Aerospace Policy 4.0, we now have the catalytic framework to deliver world-class aerospace infrastructure and opportunities.”