Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia said that the Indian Aviation sector has passed through a lot of trials and tribulations during the pandemic period, but it is emerging stronger, fitter and ready to face challenges and tap the opportunities. The sector has shown resilience, and by next year, we will surpass the pre-covid number of domestic passengers. The international flights are going to fully resume in a couple of days, and number of international travellers from India will also jump rapidly.
He said that the government will be a constructive collaborator with all stakeholders of the aviation sector and work with them for the development of Civil Aviation in the country. Formally inaugurating Wings India 2022 at Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad on Friday, he said “We don’t believe in square tables, we believe in roundtables at our Ministry to ensure the success of this sector and our country at large.”
Wings India 2022, Asia’s largest event for commercial, general and business aviation, is being held with ‘India@75: New Horizon for Aviation Industry’, as main theme. The event which took off yesterday is being jointly organized by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and FICCI.
The inaugural session, which was followed by Ministerial plenary, was attended by Mr. Jean Baptiste Djebbari, French Minister of State for Transport, Minister for Ecological Transition, France; Mr. Ngampasong Muongmany, Vice Minister of Public Works and Transport, Laos; Mr Prem Bahadur Ale, Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Nepal and Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan, Governor.
Scindia said that the Wings India 2022 is a watershed moment, as it is being organized in the 75th year of Indian independence- Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. He said that the agenda of Gati Shakti given by Hon’ble Prime Minister, a twin-pronged initiative and synergy of giving speed and the power, will drive India for years to come.
He said that various departments of the Government of India across the umbrella have come together to power India. And as India moves from 75 to 100 years, it will emerge as new power as paradigm has changed and there is lot of focus on infrastructure development. The building of infrastructure is not confined to the economic centres but being provided in all parts of the country for everyone, he added
The Minister said that the Civil aviation sector will play an important role in the country’s development. He said that the sector has economic multiple of 3.1 and employment multiple of 6.1. It means that the investment of a rupee in the civil aviation space adds Rs 3.1 to the economy in the long run, and for every one direct employment, 6.1 indirect jobs are created. He said that Civil aviation is one of the largest employment and output generating sector in the world.
Talking about the metamorphosis in the Indian Civil aviation sector in last 7 years, Scindia said that India is the fastest growing civil aviation market in the world. There has been expansion across the spectrum in the sector, with the number of airports in the country going up from 74 in 2013-14 to almost 140 (including Heliports and water domes).The number is likely to go up to 220 by 2024-25. There were 400 aircrafts in the country then and the number has gone up to 710 in 7 years. It is intended that more than 100 aircrafts should join every year.
