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Airports · India · 2017 and today

72% of India is now within 100 km of an airport

Every part of India, coloured by how far it is from the nearest airport with regular passenger flights, meaning at least one flight a week on average.

What is UDAN? UDAN, launched in October 2016, subsidises airlines to fly routes to smaller towns, for three years a route (up to five in the phase launched in July 2026), with about half the seats on each flight offered at capped fares. The first UDAN flights took off on 27 April 2017; by July 2026 the scheme had flown 679 routes and carried 1.68 crore passengers. Not every route has lasted: as of July 2026, 348 of the 679 routes ever started were still running. Where the flights went: coming soon.

Hover over a plane for the airport

India · 2017 and todayDistance to the nearest airport with regular passenger flightsMeasured in a straight line, not by road, from each hexagon (about 50 km across) to the nearest airport with at least one passenger flight a week.
2017January–March 2017, before UDAN’s first flightJan–Mar 2017, before UDANof India within 100 km ·
75 airports
2026Today: September 2025 – August 2026Today: Sep 2025 – Aug 2026of India within 100 km ·
129 airports
  • Goa (Mopa)Opened in January 2023. About 13,100 domestic passengers a day already, close to Goa’s older Dabolim airport (16,100).
  • Navi MumbaiOpened on 25 December 2025 and has averaged about 12,000 domestic passengers a day since.
  • DarbhangaUDAN flights began in November 2020. At about 2,100 passengers a day it is now Bihar’s second-busiest airport, after Patna.
  • Arunachal PradeshNo airport with regular flights in 2017; three now, at Itanagar, Pasighat and Tezu. But Pasighat and Tezu handle fewer than 60 passengers a day, and Pasighat’s flights have thinned to under one a week.
Distance to the nearest airport with regular flightsdarker is closer
under 50 km50–100 km100–150 km150–250 kmfurther
Airports with regular flights
  • Gained flights since
    2017, under UDAN
  • Gained flights since
    2017, outside UDAN
  • Already flying
    in 2017

Which airports count: an airport is on a map if it handled domestic passengers and averaged at least one departure a week in that period, which excludes most occasional activity, though the figures may include charter flights; airports that gained flights since 2017 but no longer meet that line are not on today’s map. Passenger figures are domestic, arrivals and departures. Rajkot is at its old site for 2017 and at Hirasar today; Ludhiana’s flights have moved from the old airport to Halwara. City airfields used for charters (Safdarjung, Begumpet, Bengaluru HAL, Juhu, Mundra) are left out.

Airports that started flights since 2017 +

Airports with regular flights now but not in January–March 2017, busiest first. First flights: the first scheduled passenger flight since 2017 where reported, otherwise AAI’s date for the first UDAN flight. UDAN: on AAI’s list or the ministry’s; Ayodhya and Solapur are on the ministry’s list only, so AAI gives no start date. Thinning: under one flight a week in the last three months.

AirportCodeFirst flightsUDANUDAN start (AAI)Domestic passengers a day
Goa (Mopa)GOX5 Jan 2023No–13,132
Navi MumbaiNMI25 Dec 2025No–12,024
HindonHDO11 Oct 2019Yes11 Oct 20192,424
DarbhangaDBR8 Nov 2020Yes8 Nov 20202,134
AyodhyaAYJ6 Jan 2024Yes–2,110
Noida (Jewar)DXN15 Jun 2026No–1,995
ShirdiSAG1 Oct 2017No–1,555
KannurCNN9 Dec 2018Yes25 Jan 20191,226
JharsugudaJRG22 Sep 2018Yes22 Sep 20181,205
NashikISK23 Dec 2017Yes23 Dec 20171,131
DeogharDGH12 Jul 2022Yes12 Jul 20221,019
KanpurKNU3 Jul 2018Yes3 Jul 2018975
PurneaPXN15 Sep 2025Yes15 Sep 2025864
JaisalmerJSA29 Oct 2017Yes29 Oct 2017667
ItanagarHGI28 Nov 2022Yes15 Jan 2023578
KolhapurKLH8 Apr 2018Yes8 Apr 2018533
ShivamoggaRQY31 Aug 2023Yes21 Nov 2023469
NandedNDC27 Apr 2017Yes27 Apr 2017437
JalgaonJLG23 Dec 2017Yes23 Dec 2017424
Adampur (Jalandhar)AIP1 May 2018Yes1 May 2018401
SalemSXV25 Mar 2018Yes25 Mar 2018361
BareillyBEK8 Mar 2021Yes8 Mar 2021351
Ludhiana (Halwara)HWR15 May 2026No–350
KishangarhKQH8 Oct 2018Yes8 Oct 2018338
SindhudurgSDW9 Oct 2021Yes9 Oct 2021286
PuducherryPNY16 Aug 2017Yes16 Aug 2017278
MysuruMYQ20 Sep 2017Yes2 Sep 2017258
JagdalpurJGB14 Jun 2018Yes14 Jun 2018170
KadapaCDP27 Apr 2017Yes27 Apr 2017169
BikanerBKB26 Sep 2017Yes26 Sep 2017135
RewaREW25 Nov 2024Yes25 Nov 2024121
SolapurSSE9 Jun 2025Yes–98
BidarIXX7 Feb 2020Yes7 Feb 202071
BilaspurPAB1 Mar 2021Yes1 Mar 202168
VijayanagarVDY21 Sep 2017Yes21 Sep 201765
Gondia · thinningGDB13 Mar 2022Yes13 Mar 202264
Kandla · thinningIXY10 Jul 2017Yes1 Jul 201758
KurnoolKJB28 Mar 2021Yes28 Mar 202152
TezuTEI15 Aug 2021Yes15 Aug 202151
AmravatiAVR16 Apr 2025Yes16 Apr 202549
PithoragarhNNS17 Jan 2019Yes17 Jan 201949
JeyporePYB3 Aug 2022Yes3 Aug 202236
BathindaBUP27 Apr 2017Yes27 Apr 201733
KalaburagiGBI22 Nov 2019Yes22 Nov 201930
RupsiRUP8 May 2021Yes8 May 202129
HisarHSS14 Jan 2021Yes14 Jan 202124
DamanNMB16 Jul 2026Yes16 Jul 202617
Pasighat · thinningIXT24 May 2021Yes24 May 202115
Keshod (Junagadh)IXK16 Apr 2022Yes16 Apr 202213
UtkelaUKE31 Aug 2023Yes31 Aug 202313
JamshedpurIXW31 Jan 2023Yes31 Jan 202312
AmbikapurAHA19 Dec 2024Yes19 Dec 20249
ShimlaSLV27 Apr 2017Yes27 Apr 20179
Cooch Behar · thinningCOH21 Feb 2023Yes21 Feb 20235
RourkelaRRK7 Jan 2023Yes7 Jan 20234
Sources +

Passengers by airport: Airports Authority of India, monthly traffic news, Annexure III (domestic passengers) and Annexure II (domestic aircraft movements), January 2017 to August 2026. AAI counts passengers handled at the airport, arrivals and departures; a flight here is a departure, half of AAI’s take-offs and landings.

UDAN airports: those on either of two official lists, AAI’s and the civil aviation ministry’s answer in the Rajya Sabha of 27 July 2026, which differ by a few airports (Ayodhya and Solapur are only on the second). UDAN dates from AAI’s list of RCS airports operationalised as on 25 March 2026; Ziro and Daman, and the opening days of airports outside that list, from press reports. UDAN figures: Press Information Bureau, 17 July 2026, and the ministry’s Rajya Sabha answers of 10 August 2026.

Airport locations: OurAirports (public domain); Noida (Jewar) and Datia placed from published locations.

2017 is January–March 2017; UDAN’s first flights were on 27 April 2017. Today is September 2025 to August 2026. An airport counts if it handled domestic passengers and averaged at least one departure a week in the period. Passengers a day are averaged from the month an airport’s passengers began, so airports that opened during the year are not averaged over months they were shut.

The share of India within 100 km counts land area, not people, measured at each hexagon’s centre. Distances are straight lines, not roads. The 2017 window is three months; measured the same way over January–March 2026, today’s share is 72%, against 72% over the full year, so the comparison does not hinge on the season. Averages for an airport that opened during the year start on its opening day.