India to need 400 airports, 3,000 aircraft by 2047: Report

India will need an integrated network of 400 airports and a fleet of 3,000 aircraft by 2047, according to a KPMG–FICCI report released at Wings India, projecting strong growth in aviation, MRO, cargo and sustainable fuels

Hyderabad: India will require an integrated grid of 400 airports supported by a commercial fleet of 3,000 aircraft by 2047.

This has been revealed in a report titled ‘Paving the future of aviation in Viksit Bharat @ 2047’ released by KPMG in India, in collaboration with FICCI, at ongoing Wings India here.

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As per the report, the Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO) market in the country is set to grow from USD 2.5 billion to USD 7 billion by 2035.

India is now the world’s third-largest domestic aviation market and is on track to becoming the third-largest globally, enabled by rapid fleet induction and record aircraft orders, it said.

India has the potential to build a globally competitive Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) industry leveraging its diverse feedstocks, substantial refining capacity, bio-energy experience and strong policy momentum, it said.

Currently, India operates 164 airports, with a long term plan for a balanced network of mega hubs, national gateways and cost efficient regional airports.

Air cargo throughput stands at 3.7 million MT annually, with nearly 80 percent routed through the five largest airports; the report calls for fully digitised, multimodal cargo ecosystems to drive competitiveness.

The National Aviation Skilling Mission will be essential to meet workforce needs—projecting 40,000 pilots and 38,000 aircraft maintenance engineers required by 2047, it added.