NEW DELHI: The Airports Authority of India is working on a plan to operationalise about 50 airports in the country over the next 10 years as part of the Narendra Modi government’s efforts to boost air connectivity, for which it believes a total of 200 additional airports are required over the long term. The government has constituted an inter-ministerial task force to identify and recommend airports that need to be operationalised in tier 2 and tier 3 cities across the country, AAI chairman RK Srivastava told ETin an interview. “In order to meet the objective of inclusive growth, the government plans to enhance regional and remote connectivity in a time-bound manner.To augment air connectivity throughout India, more than 200 operational airports are required,” said Srivastava. Last year, AAI had been mandated to develop five (no-frills) airports at Kishangarh, Belgaum, Hubli, Jharusuguda and Tezu, for which work is in progress, said Srivastava. In the next 10 years, AAI envisages operationalisation of at least 50 additional airports, he said. At present, India has about 450 airports and airstrips spread across the country. Of these, only about 125 airports are operational and the rest are not being used for a variety of reasons.The plan to operationalise airports in smaller cities is in sync with the government’s effort to provide regional connectivity in the country by launching regional flights at a fare of Rs 2,500 per seat. Analysts, however, said that these airports need to be made viable. “Is there a need to operationalise airports if these airports are not viable? The government should also focus on finding ways to make these airports viable,” said Mark Martin , founder and CEO of Martin Consulting, an aviation consultancy firm.There are about eight airports where AAI has invested over Rs 300 crore on modernisation, but there are no flights, which is why these are now turning into “ghost airports”.When asked about such airports, Srivastava said AAI is adopting measures to market these airports to make them economically viable through various marketing Initiatives. He said, however, AAI is a public sector company and development of airports is undertaken considering not only the commercial aspect but also the socio-economic requirement of the places.“The airports are often developed ahead of demand for boosting trade, tourism and socio-economic development of the region in line with the government’s responsibility for equitable growth and development for all,” said Srivastava. “Thus, some of the airport projects which may not be viable at present can become viable in future and prove to be a real asset for the city and the state,” he said.