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India's aviation sector is witnessing unprecedented growth, with the country opening a new airport every 50 days, Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said on Friday.
The minister was addressing the gathering at the Inaugural Session of the 30th CII Partnership Summit - 2025 held in Visakhapatnam. Highlighting the pace and scale of expansion, the minister said the aviation sector has achieved remarkable success in building airports and enhancing passenger capacity. "Every 50 days, we are opening a new airport, which is unprecedented anywhere in the globe, and that is the kind of success we have achieved in terms of building up of airports, the passenger capacity and many other verticals in aviation," he said. He added that Andhra Pradesh is emerging as a major beneficiary of the sector's rapid growth, taking significant steps to strengthen its aviation and logistics ecosystem. "Today, Andhra is taking it one step further, creating a logistics hub, creating an aviation hub," he noted. The minister shared that the state currently has seven airports and is planning to add seven more, marking a major expansion in regional air connectivity. Along with airports, Andhra Pradesh is also developing strong aviation infrastructure to support training, maintenance, and manufacturing. "We have four flight training organizations coming in the state. We have MRO ecosystem coming in Vishakhapatnam. We have aviation skilling, the university coming in Vishakhapatnam," he said, emphasizing the integrated approach to create a full-fledged aviation ecosystem. He further stated that the government is expanding the drone sector and building a "drone city" while also pushing aerospace and aircraft manufacturing in a big way across the country. Speaking on India's long-term vision, the minister said that the year 2047 should not be seen as a challenge but as a period filled with opportunities. "2047 is not a challenge before the country, but it is an unlimited amount of opportunities that are there with us. And today, Andhra Pradesh is reaping out all the opportunities that are presented in front of us," he said. He attributed this progress to the strength of the "double-engined Sarkar," where the state and central governments work together with unity, clarity, and conviction. "When the state government and central government, with unity and clarity and conviction, they all come together, the strength that is shown is shown today in Andhra Pradesh," he added. Visakhapatnam is hosting the two-day CII Partnership Summit, a flagship event of the Andhra Pradesh Government, which officials say is poised to play a pivotal role in accelerating the state's development. The summit began on Friday, drawing more than 3,000 delegates from over 50 countries, including ministers, diplomats, global CEOs, industry leaders and representatives of major international organisations. (ANI)
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