BHOGAPURAM: With more mega airports coming up in India, the country has decided to use a multi-pronged strategy to give a boost to international flights from these upcoming hubs. Instead of just raising bilaterals or flying rights with other countries to have more flights to foreign shores, the Modi govt is keen both Indian airports and airlines realise their true potential by flying direct between hubs here and abroad. “Every 40-45 days we are seeing airport capacity expansion in the form of new airports or existing ones being expanded. India has 843 aircraft as of now. In calendar year 2025, Indian carriers inducted 80 planes. This year 106 more aircraft are expected to be inducted. For the next 10-15 years, Indian carriers will induct about 100 aircraft annually given the orders of airlines like AI Group, IndiGo and Akasa. Star Air is planning to order more planes,” Union aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said at Bhogapuram Airport, which received its first commercial validation flight (by Air India) on Sunday.For many decades, a lion’s share of international traffic between India and rest of the world has been on home airlines of hubs nearby — like Emirates at Dubai; Qatar Airways at Doha; Etihad at Doha; Sri Lankan at Colombo; Singapore Airlines at Changi and European carriers. Some of these hubs get a significant chunk of their footfalls from people travelling between India and rest of them world. Since 2014, the Modi govt has been working to get this traffic back to Indian airlines and Indian airports. While new airports are coming up, Tatas taking over Air India and IndiGo’s international ambitions along with newcomers like Akasa have made that a distinct possibility.“As far as (raising) bilaterals goes, we have to give priority to our own airlines. Thanks to the new age infrastructure rapidly being created, India is now in a position that travellers from nearby countries fly here and then take connecting flights to other parts of the world. Similarly, there’s a huge potential t fly in people from within India to the global hubs we are creating and then they take overseas flights from there. India has the airports required for the job and our airlines are getting there with the right policies in place,” the minister said.But he added “Indian airlines need to operate more wide body aircraft (to fly nonstop between India and rest of the world). Emirates, for instance, has 250 wide bodies while Indian carriers (primarily Air India) are in double dights. AI Group and IndiGo have wide bodies on order and we want Indian carriers to be able to fly direct between our hubs and those abroad.”While Indian carriers want govt to rationalise enhancing bilaterals, operators of some new hubs have been seeking a revision as the same to many places, including Dubai and Singapore, are completely used ay airlines of both sides — which means they can’t add more flights. Naidu termed “global south” and Africa as key areas for increasing direct connectivity to from India. Naidu on the first commercial validation flight that landed at the upcoming Bhogapuram Airport on Sunday. The new airport is expected to become operational this summer, ahead of schedule.
