A road map will be rolled out soon

The government is working on a blueprint on aircraft manufacturing in the country and will soon make it a reality, Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu said on sidelines of the Global Aviation Summit 2019 held in Mumbai.

Speaking to reporters after the inauguration of the event on 15 Jan 2019, Prabhu said India needed 2,300 aircraft to meet the domestic demand for air-travel in the coming years.

A road map will be soon rolled out for manufacturing aircraft in the country, he assured.

Global aviation industries will be attracted to build aircraft in India, supported by maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) industry.

He also disclosed that the government wants aircraft financing to be carried out by the financial institutions domestically.

“We are already working on financing of aircraft and how that should happen from India,” he told reporters.

The government’s emphasis is on the growth of air cargo.

The government has also regulated the use of drones and these tools would be used in agriculture and disaster management, Prabhu pointed out.

Besides the ambitious plan of manufacturing indigenous drones, robust air cargo policy for greater trade and more transparent policy logistic study is also on the cards, the minister elaborated.

Prabhu highlighted the need for technology to pervade all aspects of aviation.

FICCI President Sandip Somany added: “Aviation market in India is now worth Rs.2 lakh crore, the same as telecom and railways. That gives you the scope of how aviation is growing.”

The aviation industry in India has been experiencing exponential growth with the domestic aviation market growing at 20% annually for the last four years.

If the growth momentum of the Indian aviation market continues, then very soon the country is going to be the third largest aviation market in the world, said the ICAO president Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu.

But he stressed on the need for better skill development of the next generation aviation professionals.

A Vision 2040 document was unveiled at the summit which aims to have 1.12 billion air passengers in 2040 from 187 million air passengers in 2018.

The two-day summit was attended by 13 Transport and Civil Aviation Ministers and 800 Delegates from 80 countries. fiinews.com