By Editor Sure, India is a developing nation, and we aren’t counted as a nation with one of the highest numbers of airports, but the number is surely increasing year after year. For now, we have about 487 airports in the country. And in every single state, you’ll find some airports, and that’s a good thing for the airborne connectivity for the entire nation. And while we’re at it, why not talk about which are the Top 5 States With The Most Airports in India 2025? So let’s just see which states rank among the top ones when it comes to a proper airport network right here in the country. Here we go then.
1. Uttar Pradesh – 17 Airports
Uttar Pradesh is no longer only the most populous state; it also ranks first in the field of aviation. It has the maximum number of 17 airports that are in operation, thus making this state the leader of our chart as of 2025. The air network in UP is growing faster than in any other state, not only from big cities such as Lucknow, Varanasi, and Ayodhya but also from the rapidly rising ones like Shravasti, Chitrakoot, Moradabad, and Aligarh. It is quite evident that the move towards regional connectivity under UDAN has yielded results in this state. Surely, the two lesser-known airports of Kushinagar and Azamgarh have gained more importance than before.
2. Maharashtra – 15 Airports
Economically, Maharashtra has had the upper hand more often than not, and as a result, it stands naturally among the top best-connected regions as well. And surely, we’re referring to the airborne connectivity here, like, with 15 active operational airports, it ranks second on this list. Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur may still be the three main aviation hubs of the state, but Maharashtra has gone a step further to combine these with some lesser-known names like Sindhudurg, Gondia, Juhu Aerodrome, and Shirdi. The state of Maharashtra has got it all when it comes to the air, you know, from big international airports to small regional ones.
3. Gujarat – 13 Airports
Did you know that Gujarat is the only state in India with 2 running water aerodromes? It is true. Gujarat takes the third position on our list with a total of 13 airports. Besides the major airports located in Ahmedabad, Surat, and Rajkot (Hirasar), Gujarat is exceptional because of its distinctive water aerodromes at the Sabarmati Riverfront and Statue of Unity (Kevadia). Such facilities are not only eye-catchers, but they are integrated into the official civil network, operating normally and even registered in the Ministry’s list.
4. Uttarakhand – 12 Airports
Most people do not know that Uttarakhand, which is famous for its peaceful mountains, has established an extensive air network with 12 airports that are currently functional by the year 2025. Yes, there are only a handful of typical such as Dehradun (Jolly Grant), Pantnagar, and Pithoragarh, but Uttarakhand’s actual power is its extremely smart heliport network. Locally commuting by air has become not only feasible but also quite common in difficult mountain areas like Almora, Srinagar (Garhwal), and Chinyali Saur. The situation here is one where connectivity wins over nature, and sometimes, that becomes super important and we all have seen that time and again.
5. Karnataka – 10 Airports
Karnataka is at the end of our list with 10 working airports, but in a different style. Generally, a state that has many airports mainly for commercial purposes, Karnataka, by contrast, has a prevalent industrial airstrip network that is used for air transportation of the state, besides the conventional ones. It is without doubt that the two airports in Bangalore (BIAL and HAL) have been the major movers in this direction, but airfields in Shivamogga, Kalaburagi, and Toranagallu (Jindal Vijayanagar) are aiding the flight of Karnataka’s aviation by being the three places that have ensured the regions are well-connected.
Conclusion
There you have it. These are by far the states with the most airports in India as of 2025. Now, many sources out there may state that there are more airports than these, but in reality, we’re only talking about the operational ones here, and this list is directly sourced from none other than the data of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.