New Delhi, Aug 18 : Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has joined the elite 100-million-plus club of global airports, with an annual passenger-handling capacity of 109 million.

According to data from Official Airline Guide and airport operators, only six airports worldwide belong to this exclusive group.

After Terminal 1 was fully operationalised, the milestone was reached in May 2023, and the airport closed in 2024 with the increased capacity. Other than Tokyo Haneda, it is the only airport in Asia to be included in this category. It is run by Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL).

In order to further expand Delhi Airport's overall capacity, plans are also being considered to rebuild and modernise Terminal 2.

According to an official report released last month, the Indian aviation industry has undergone a significant transformation over the past 11 years, fueled by the effectiveness of a comprehensive and integrated approach under significant national initiatives like PM GatiShakti, the National Logistics Policy, Bharatmala, Sagarmala, and UDAN.

India now has 162 airports in operation, including heliports and water aerodromes, up from 74 in 2014, the report stated.

As per the official data presented to Parliament, Indian airports handled 412 million passengers in 2024'2025, including 77 million foreign and 335 million domestic travellers. This represents a 9 per cent increase from the previous year.

In order to improve regional air connectivity and lower the cost of air travel for the general public, the Regional Connectivity Scheme-Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN) was introduced in 2016.

Since the program's inception, 637 RCS routes ' including 15 heliports and two water aerodromes ' have been operationalised, linking 92 underserved and unserved airports. These budget flights have carried more than 1.51 crore passengers.

Speaking at the Northern Region Ministers' Conference last month, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu announced that the nation has seen 88 new airports in just ten years, or almost one new airport every 40 days, and 60 more flights every hour.

The minister claims that flying is now more available, accessible, and reasonably priced in India.

Naidu reaffirmed the ministry's commitment to cooperative, state-specific strategies for attaining inclusive aviation growth, saying that Indian skies are more connected, competitive, and collaborative under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.

/IANS