India advances green aviation with 104 airports powered by renewable energy

India has reached a major milestone in the development of sustainable aviation, with 104 airports now operating on 100 per cent renewable energy. Union Civil Aviation Minister Shri. Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu announced the achievement, describing it as an important step in the country's transition to greener airport operations, as reported by IANS, a partner of TV BRICS.

"One hundred and four Indian airports are now powered by 100 per cent renewable energy, up from zero in 2014. [...] New India is walking the talk on sustainability, advancing towards the Net Zero by 2070 target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said.

The airports now meet their operational electricity requirements entirely through renewable energy sources, including electricity generated by on-site solar power installations and renewable power supplied under long-term agreements, such as hydropower. The transition forms part of India's broader efforts to increase the use of clean energy across key infrastructure.

India has steadily expanded renewable energy adoption in the aviation sector in recent years. The shift is expected to reduce indirect carbon emissions by nearly 200,000 tonnes annually.

Another landmark in the sector was achieved by an airport in Kerala State, which became the world's first fully solar-powered airport in 2015. Since then, it has continued to expand its solar generation capacity and strengthen its environmental initiatives. The latest announcement reflects continued progress towards the national goal of achieving net-zero emissions across all Indian airports by 2030.