Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget for 2024 in the Parliament today. During her speech, she spoke about the aviation sector and talked about the development of this sector over the past few years. Some of the developments she spoke about highlighted how the number of airports in India has doubled over the last decade. As per the statement, there are now 149 airports across India. She also spoke about how air connectivity has improved in non-metro areas of the country as well.
Number Of Airports In India Reach 149, Doubled Over The Past Decade
The interim budget of 2024-25 talked about every sector and industry of the economy. However, there is a special draw towards the aviation sector this time. During her speech, Nirmala Sitharaman emphasised how the “aviation sector has galvanised in the past 10 years.” So much so that the number of airports has doubled to 149! Furthermore, she mentioned that there has been an extensive “rollout of air connectivity to Tier-II and Tier-III cities under the UDAN scheme.”
The aviation sector has been galvanized in the past 10 years. The number of airports has doubled to 149. Rollout of air connectivity to Tier-II and Tier-III cities under UDAN has been widespread.
Expansion of existing airports and development of new airports will continue… pic.twitter.com/KIcbPisyrn
— BJP (@BJP4India) February 1, 2024
The Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) scheme was rolled out in 2016 to provide citizens with affordable connectivity to remote parts of India. In her budget speech, the FM added that 517 new routes are carrying 1.3 crore passengers as part of this scheme now. Also worth mentioning, all these new routes are by Indian carriers.
Also Read: Budget 2024: Sitharaman Announces Bogies Converting To Vande Bharat Standards, 3 Corridors, More
FM Talks About Airport Infrastructure Development During Budget 2024
After rolling out these heavy numbers, the FM said that the government will continue airport infrastructure development work in the coming years. She emphasises the importance of Tier II and Tier III city infrastructural growth and how the aviation sector will help with it. In her speech, she also outlined steps taken to boost air connectivity in these areas and how these steps will improve international air trade. She also told the parliament that “Indian carriers have proactively placed orders of over 1,000 new aircraft,” to help with this boost.
Let us know your thoughts on this year’s budget in the comments sections!
Cover Image Courtesy: Wikimedia & Canva
Also Read: How Much Does Aviation Fuel Cost? Netizens On Quora Reveal It Costs Over ₹1L Per Kiloliter
For more such snackable content, interesting discoveries and the latest updates on food, travel and experiences in your city, download the Curly Tales App. Download HERE.