The government decided to set up 50 new low-cost airports this year and 50 next year, with an aim to give boost to civil aviation sector and increase air connectivity to Tier-II and Tier-III cities and also able to deliver on timeframe given by Prime Minster, said Mr K.N. Srivastava, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation at an ASSOCHAM conference held in New Delhi
It will be operated around 50 cities in Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.
In order to stimulate the air connectivity, airlines are expected to add around 370 aircrafts, worth US$ 27.5 billion, to their fleet by the year 2017, said Mr. Srivastava. He further added that, “We are committed for the development of the sector and have introduced several policies and regulations to encourage private participation and investments in the sector”.
“The civil aviation industry is an important engine for innovation and technological progress in a world of decreasing trade barriers and global footprint. A comprehensive National Civil Aviation Policy for India to address key issues related to infrastructure, cost of operations and high taxation will bring the much needed strategic vision and direction to the sector. The establishment of the Civil Aviation Authority, as a replacement to the DGCA, will be a positive step towards setting up an autonomous regulator for the industry”, said Mr. Rana Kapoor, President ASSOCHAM.
It is undeniable that the next growth in civil aviation will come from tourism and a collaborative approach is needed to achieve common goals and objectives. This is also highly synergetic with Incredible India’s recent campaigns – ‘Find what you seek…’ and ‘Go beyond…’- which aim to take tourism beyond ‘honeypot’ destinations into the lesser known regions of the country, said Mr. Kapoor.
Ligare was given the award for being the most versatile company in aviation, SafeExpress, the best air cargo logistics, ‘Boeing’ the best global aviation company, Indigo, the best Airline (national) and “British airways”, the best Airline(International) and Frankfin, the best training institute.