PM's meet on infra to consider airline hub policy

With Prime Minister Manmohan Singh keen to boost investment sentiment through infrastructure development, a meeting called by him tomorrow is expected to finalise an airline hub policy and give a push to setting up 17 new airports, including seven international ones.

The meeting is also expected to consider the launch of a bullet train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, an elevated rail corridor in Mumbai and two new major ports, sources said. They added the meeting, attended by officials from the infrastructure, power, coal, aviation, shipping and road transport ministries, is part of an exercise to boost investment sentiment in the country.

As part of setting ambitious targets for the next year in six major infrastructure sectors, the meeting is expected to finalise an airline hub policy which would focus on expanding both regional and international air connectivity.

The policy has been formulated because of fear of loss of outbound air traffic from India to adjoining hub airports such as Dubai and Singapore. Under the policy, a series of steps are entailed which include improvement of connectivity and making visa processing easier so that more passengers fly from India to destinations in Europe and America. Singh is expected to push for expediting work on setting up 17 new major airports. These include airport at Navi Mumbai and three other international airports, the sources said. Besides, the meeting is expected to finalise around 10 more airports on public-private-partnership mode.