Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressed the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) 81st Annual General Meeting (AGM) and the World Air Transport Summit (WATS) plenary session held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, reaffirming India’s leadership in the global aviation sector. Marking the event’s return to India after four decades, Modi highlighted India’s transformative growth, positioning the country as a major aviation market and a hub of innovation and policy leadership.
The Prime Minister emphasized India’s emergence as the third-largest domestic aviation market globally, with over 240 million passengers flying annually—a figure expected to reach 500 million by 2030. He lauded the success of the UDAN regional connectivity scheme, which has enabled affordable air travel for over 15 million people, and noted India’s expanding cargo capacity, projected to increase from 3.5 million to 10 million metric tons by decade-end.
Modi outlined India’s strategic pillars driving aviation growth: a vast and aspirational market, a young talent pool advancing AI, robotics, and clean energy, and a supportive policy framework fostering industrial expansion. Highlighting infrastructure progress, he noted that India’s operational airports have more than doubled since 2014, now totaling 162, with carriers ordering over 2,000 new aircraft.
Focusing on sustainability, Modi stressed India’s commitment to green mobility, sustainable aviation fuels, and reducing carbon footprints, alongside technology-driven passenger experiences such as the Digi Yatra app—an advanced digital solution offering seamless airport navigation through facial recognition.
The Prime Minister underscored legislative reforms including the Protection of Interest in Aircraft Objects Bill and incentives at Gift City, enhancing India’s attractiveness for aircraft leasing and manufacturing. He highlighted the growing Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) sector, which aims to become a $4 billion global hub by 2030, supported by 100% FDI, GST reductions, and tax rationalization.
Modi further emphasized India’s inclusive aviation model, with women pilots constituting over 15% of the workforce—triple the global average—and high female participation in cabin crew and MRO engineering roles. He also highlighted drone technology as a key future area, supporting social inclusion and economic empowerment.
Reaffirming India’s commitment to international aviation safety standards and open skies policies, Modi called for global collaboration to ensure accessible, affordable, and secure air travel. He expressed confidence in India’s continued rapid progress and innovation in aviation, urging stakeholders to embrace the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Design in India’ initiatives.
The event was attended by Union Ministers Shri Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu and Shri Murlidhar Mohol, IATA Board Chairman Pieter Elbers, Director General Willie Walsh, and IndiGo Managing Director Rahul Bhatia, among other dignitaries.
