17 Scheduled Airlines Operating In India Through 148 Operational Airports: Govt

India currently has 17 scheduled airlines operating through 148 operational airports, the government informed the Parliament on Monday (20 March).

Further, 718 aircraft have been approved by the India's civil aviation regulator on the Air Operator Certificate.

An air operator certificate (AOC) is the approval granted by a civil aviation authority to an aircraft operator to allow it to use aircraft for commercial purposes.

"As on 9 March 2023, there are 17 scheduled airlines operating in India. The number of the aircrafts endorsed by the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) on the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) is 718,"  Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation General (Retired) V K Singh said in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha.

"Presently, there are 148 operational airports in the country, which includes 137 airports, 2 Water aerodromes and 09 Heliports. There were 96 operational Airports of the Airports Authority of India as on March 2017," the minister said.

Further, Viability Gap Funding (VGF) amount of around Rs 2,454 crore has been released to selected airline operators as on 7 March for the operation of UDAN flights across the country, the minister added.