Noting that India has witnessed an unprecedented transformation in the field of civil aviation in the last few years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that his government is committed to building world-class airport infrastructure and success of the UDAN scheme is a golden chapter in Indian civil aviation.

Addressing the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) 81st Annual General Meeting (AGM) here, PM Modi said India is the world’s third-largest domestic aviation market.

“In the last few years, India has witnessed an unprecedented transformation in the field of civil aviation. Today, India is the world’s third-largest domestic aviation market. The success of the UDAN scheme is a golden chapter in Indian civil aviation. Under this scheme, more than 15 million travellers have availed affordable air travel,” he said.

“A lot has changed in India in these four decades. Today’s India is more confident than ever before. In the global aviation ecosystem, we are not just a huge market but also a symbol of policy leadership, innovation and inclusive development,” he added.

PM Modi said the country had only 74 operational airports in 2014, which has more than doubled to 162.

Indian airlines have also placed orders for over 2,000 aircraft, marking just the beginning of a transformative journey.