Govt set to spend Rs 23000 cr to add 120 new airports: Aviation minister

Over the past five years, the Union government’s capital expenditure on major infrastructure has grown at 39% from FY20 to FY24, the minister said

by e4m Staff
Published: Feb 28, 2025 1:01 PM | 2 min read

“With smart cities and green highways, the Government is building an infrastructure ecosystem that is sustainable, resilient and future-ready.” This was stated by Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal during his virtual address at the second edition of Build India Infra Awards 2025. He elaborated that the Budget 2025-26 allocates Rs 11.21 trillion for the infrastructure sector to not only help build roads and railways but also create jobs and businesses enabling citizens to experience better mobility and convenience.

Goyal urged the participants to continue collaborating, innovating, and accelerating, ensuring that India’s infrastructure remains the backbone of its economic development.

Speaking about the Build India Infra Awards, the Commerce minister noted that these awards honour not just projects, but perseverance that is transforming India’s infra
and shaping our nation’s future.

Adding to the event’s prestige was an esteemed jury panel, led by Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 Sherpa, who stated: "For India to grow from a $4 trillion to a $30 trillion economy, we need world-class expressways, highways, and metros. With solar capacity scaled 31 times and 40 million houses built, India is executing projects at an unprecedented scale. Platforms like the Build India Infra Awards are key to driving this excellence."

“India is all set to get 120 new destinations with air connectivity, Govt to spend Capex of Rs 23,000 crore for building more airports and better airport infrastructure,” announced Civil Aviation Minister, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, at the 2nd edition of the Build India Infra Awards 2025, in New Delhi.

During his keynote address at the award ceremony, Naidu said that India is set to become the No.1 aviation market by 2047. In the next 10 years, we plan to include four crore more passengers into the UDAAN Network and create 120 new destinations, he said.

Over the past five years, the Union government’s capital expenditure on major infrastructure has grown at an impressive rate of 38.8% from FY20 to FY24. Of the Rs 91000 Cr allocated as CAPEX during last5 years, 95% has been spent, he added further. Detailing on the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme, the Civil aviation Minister highlighted that the scheme has benefited 1 crore 50 lakh people, connected 88 airports across the country, with 619 new routes.