In Numbers: How Expanding Airports Are Connecting More Indians Than Ever

With commercial passenger flights beginning from Noida International Airport (Jewar), India's aviation sector has added another operational airport to its growing network. The Jewar International Airport will ease pressure on Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport and improve connectivity in western Uttar Pradesh. The new airport also tells a larger story about how India's aviation map has been changing.

India had 94 operational airports in 2017. By 2026, that number had risen to 163. The increase has come through a combination of new airport projects, the revival of previously unused airports and the expansion of regional connectivity under the UDAN scheme. The idea behind the programme was to make flying accessible to people living outside major metropolitan cities and connect smaller towns to the national air network.

However, the spread of airports has not been equal across the country. Uttar Pradesh now has the highest number of operational airports at 18, including Jewar. Maharashtra follows with 15 airports, while Gujarat has 13. Uttarakhand has 12 operational airports, reflecting the importance of air connectivity in hilly regions. Karnataka rounds out the top five with 10 airports. States such as Assam and Rajasthan have seven airports each, while Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have six each.

Even as airport infrastructure expands, flight activity remains concentrated in a few major states. Data for April 2026 show that Maharashtra recorded the highest domestic aircraft movements at 35.6 thousand, followed by Delhi at 31.7 thousand.

Karnataka was third with 23.8 thousand domestic aircraft movements. On the international side, Delhi remained the country's main gateway to overseas destinations, recording 9.9 thousand international aircraft movements. Maharashtra followed with 6.6 thousand, while Tamil Nadu recorded 3.9 thousand international aircraft movements.

Passenger traffic shows a similar pattern. Delhi handled the highest number of air passengers in April at 66.5 lakh. Maharashtra was next with 59 lakh passengers, followed by Karnataka at 39.5 lakh. Tamil Nadu and Telangana recorded 22.7 lakh and 22.5 lakh passengers respectively. West Bengal, Gujarat, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and Goa also featured among the top ten states by passenger movement.

The figures suggest that India is witnessing two trends at the same time. On the one hand, airports are reaching more parts of the country than before. Smaller cities and regions that had limited or no air services are gradually becoming part of the aviation network. On the other hand, demand for air travel continues to be concentrated in a few major economic centres where business activity, tourism and population levels are higher.