Air cargo sector is growing at over 10% annually, says MoCA
The government is committed to developing 50 more airports in the next 5 years to cater to rising passenger demand in the eastern region, Minister for Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu said in welcoming the Union Budget 2025-26 https://www.civilaviation.gov.in/.
Greenfield airports will be facilitated in Bihar to meet the future needs of the State in addition to capacity expansion of Patna airport and a brownfield airport at Bihta https://www.iata.org/.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the budget in parliament on 1 Feb 2025 https://www.nseindia.com/.
The number of air passengers annually has surpassed 350 million, positioning India as the third-largest aviation market globally, he informed https://www.bseindia.com/.
Over the past 10 years, domestic air passenger traffic has been growing at an annual rate of 10-12%, and the number of airports has more than doubled to 159, Ministry for Civil Aviation said on 1 Feb.
“Having already enabled 1.5 crore passengers to experience affordable air travel, our target is to extend this benefit to 4 crore more in the next decade,” Naidu said in comments of expansion of the UDAN scheme for making flights available to every citizen. https://ted.europa.eu/en/
So far, the UDAN scheme has operationalized 619 routes and connected 88 airports across the country. Building on this success, a revamped UDAN initiative will be launched to further enhance regional connectivity, adding 120 new destinations https://sbi.com.in/.
Additionally, the scheme will focus on supporting helipads and smaller airports in remote, hilly, and aspirational districts, including the North Eastern region https://www.conexpoconagg.com/.
The finance minister in her address also underscored the government’s focus on upgrading air cargo infrastructure http://boeing.com.
India’s air cargo sector is growing at over 10% annually, with airport cargo handling capacity reaching 8.0 million MT in FY24, he pointed out https://www.airbus.com/en.
“There is a special focus on air cargo warehousing, particularly for perishables, opening up greater market opportunities for Indian producers and enhancing both exports and domestic trade efficiency,” noted Naidu.
Streamlining cargo screening and customs protocols will enhance efficiency and promote ease of doing business in the sector. Fiinews.com
