India has potential to soar to No. 1 slot in air travel by next decade: Scindia

Nov 24, 2021

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KOLKATA: India has the potential to achieve the highest place in air journey in a couple of decade, civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia stated on Wednesday, underlining the federal government’s dedication to pushing the dawn sector to scale new heights.
The federal government, he stated, is dedicated to bettering connectivity on each regional and lengthy haul worldwide routes, and has set a goal of elevating the variety of airports to 220 by 2025 from 136 at current.
“Now we have jumped from 74 airports within the final 70 years to 62 (extra) airports within the final seven years. Now now we have 136 airports. However that is not the place we’re going to cease. Now we have a goal of a complete of 220 airports by 2025, and that embrace heliport and water ports. The duty earlier than us is gigantic. Tomorrow we’re going to launch the Jewar airport (close to Noida).
“In case you have a look at what now we have been capable of obtain within the final 5-6 years from 2014-2019….the connectivity progress, civil aviation alone has (grown) 89 per cent, and that helped us in leaping from the seventh place when it comes to journey numbers to nearly fourth place in 2019. And thoughts you, we can be leaping to the primary place within the subsequent decade or so,” the union minister instructed a digital session of the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
It has resulted in a complete new market opening up for connectivity and journey, he stated, including a lot of the expansion within the civil aviation sector now can be pushed by tier 2 and tier 3 cities as tier-1 cities have reached their maturity.
The minister stated most metropolitan cities want a second airport.
“I’m wanting ahead to a location for a second airport in Kolkata. Our metro airports are nearly bursting on the seams… I believe we have to have a look at the brand new airports in any respect the metros. We’re already within the technique of a second airport in Delhi and Mumbai. We additionally want to try this in different cities together with Kolkata,” he stated.
“Now we have set sturdy targets over the subsequent 100 days….from both laying the inspiration stone of or inaugurating 5 new airports, six new heliports and 50 new UDAN routes by December or so. Proliferating the final mile connectivity is our goal. I believe that’s elementary and key to the expansion of civil aviation,” he stated.
The minister stated connectivity isn’t just about bringing individuals shut collectively and driving the financial system.
“Two paradigms have modified….from globalisation to hyper localisation, and reaching your vacation spot within the shortest doable time. Connectivity has grow to be the motive force of progress. Civil aviation is in its dawn section,” he stated.
Scindia stated the sector goes to see big progress, no less than within the foreseeable subsequent twenty years. Nevertheless, it may be achieved provided that all stakeholders work in unison, he stated, urging the non-public sector and state governments, too, to affix within the effort.
He underscored the necessity for tapping the potential of civil helicopter house.
“The helicopter house is totally untapped in India. It shocks me that India has solely 280 (civil) helicopters (registered and operational), out of which 181 are on non-schedule in comparison with hundreds of helicopters in different international locations like Brazil, Russia, China. In the previous few months, now we have provide you with a brand new helicopter coverage,” he stated.



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