New Delhi, Oct 25 (NationPress) The Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu, during the inauguration of the refurbished Terminal 2 at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on Saturday, announced that the government is targeting the establishment of 350 airports by 2047. Currently, India operates 164 airports and plans to add nearly 200 more by 2047, emphasizing that the main challenge lies in attracting more aircraft to India.

The upgraded T2 terminal will commence operations on Sunday after being closed since April 2025 for comprehensive renovations.

According to the Aviation Minister, the enhancement of Delhi’s T2 terminal is a pivotal component of a broader initiative to position India as a prominent international aviation hub.

In light of the significant surge in traffic at the nation’s busiest airport, Naidu informed NDTV Profit about Delhi airport's ambition to achieve a 120 million capacity, with the T2 expansion expected to contribute around 15 million seats.

He also mentioned that a thorough investigation is underway into the AI-171 crash, although a timeline for completion cannot be provided.

Naidu indicated that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is strictly following International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) protocols in its examination of the AI-171 incident.

Additionally, he highlighted a significant domestic technological milestone, noting that the black box was successfully decoded in India for the first time.

Looking back over the past decade, the minister remarked, "We’ve constructed numerous airports in the last ten years, and we have become proficient at it. No matter where you provide land, we can construct a state-of-the-art airport."

Delhi’s IGIA has entered the exclusive club of airports managing over 100 million passengers annually, boasting a capacity of 109 million. Data from the Official Airline Guide and airport operators indicate that only a handful of airports globally belong to this elite group.