50 more airports set to come up in five years

Highlighting the growth potential of India’s civil aviation space, Union minister K Rammohan Naidu on Thursday said the country might need 4,000 more planes in the next 20 years and 200 more airports are expected to be developed during the same period.

Currently, Indian carriers are operating around 800 planes and more than 1,200 aircraft are on order. The number of airports has doubled to 157 in the last 10 years and the count is expected to rise by 50 in the next 5 years.

“In the next 20 years, we might need another 4,000 aircraft to cater to the demand of the Indian aviation sector,” Naidu said and stressed on the need for further developing the airport ecosystem in the country. Airports have to be places for job creation, economic activities and commerce centres, he added.

The minister was speaking after inaugurating the Airbus India and South Asia Headquarters - Training Centre in the national capital.

Airbus expects to have 5,000 direct employees in India

Airbus expects to have more than 5,000 people as direct employees in India and also aims to source services and components worth USD 2 billion from the country in the next couple of years, a top company official said on Thursday.

President of Airbus India and Managing Director South Asia Remi Maillard also said the company’s engagement with the country was gaining new momentum.