Indian aviation has seen big shift, UDAN to expand infra: PM

Civil aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu held bilateral meetings with ministerial delegations from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Russia and the Dominican Republic on the sidelines of Wings India 2026 in Hyderabad, as India sought to deepen international cooperation in the sector.

The discussions focused on aircraft manufacturing, skill development and training, sustainability and supply-chain issues, alongside potential collaboration on fleet expansion and aircraft assembly lines, said an official statement.

The ministerial plenary at the conference brought together representatives from more than 20 countries, including the Dominican Republic, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Cambodia. Deliberations covered aviation security, supply chain resilience and cooperation across aviation, tourism and related economic sectors.


Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the event via video conference, said India had become the world's third-largest domestic aviation market, marking a shift from air travel being "once limited to an exclusive club". He said the government was working on the next phase of the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) scheme to strengthen regional connectivity and expand airport infrastructure.

"Over the past decade, India's aviation sector has undergone a historic transformation," Modi said, adding that passenger traffic had grown sharply and Indian airlines had placed orders for more than 1,500 aircraft.

The PM said India had expanded its airport network to more than 160 from 70 in 2014, with more than 100 aerodromes activated under the UDAN scheme. He added that around 15 million passengers had travelled on UDAN routes so far.

He also said that the government was focusing on aircraft manufacturing, maintenance, repair and overhaul, and air cargo reforms as India positions itself as an aviation hub linking domestic and international markets.