In a recent announcement, Rémi Maillard, President and Managing Director of Airbus India and South Asia, highlighted India’s escalating need for aviation infrastructure. The forecast suggests that India will require a staggering 2,840 new aircraft and an impressive 41,000 pilots, along with an additional 47,000 technical staff, all within the next two decades.

Maillard envisions India becoming a global aviation powerhouse, projecting an estimated investment of $12 billion for the construction of new airports and the refurbishment of existing ones. The ambitious plan aims to increase the current count of 150 airports to approximately 200 within five years.

India’s aviation sector is poised to lead the world in growth, with an anticipated annual economic expansion of 6.2% over the next 20 years. This growth will position India as the fastest-growing economy globally, concurrently solidifying its status as the fastest-growing aviation market. To support this exponential growth, India plans to invest $12 billion in the development of new airports, to reach 200 airports within the next five years.

Darren Hulst, Boeing’s Vice President of Commercial Marketing, echoed the sentiment of surging demand. Hulst emphasized that India is expected to witness an unprecedented expansion in its aviation sector, necessitating more than 2,500 new aircraft deliveries by 2042. The forecast is driven by robust traffic growth experienced in recent times, prompting South Asian carriers to quadruple the size of their fleets over the next two decades.

This includes a substantial number of single-aisle aircraft and nearly 400 wide-body aircraft for long-haul flights. Hulst highlighted India as a significant player in Asia, being the only economy capable of returning to pre-pandemic air travel levels both domestically and internationally.