Aviation a fast growing sector: Prabhu

Domestic passengers carriers -- mainly led by low-cost carriers (LCCs) -- have an order book of more than 1,000 aircraft as a result of increased air connectivity and cheap air fares, leading to more Indians from small towns to travel for work and vacations by air, new Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu said on Monday.

"Aviation is one of the fastest growing sectors of the Indian economy," the Minister of Commerce and Industry Prabhu said while assuming additional charge of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Speaking on the occasion, Prabhu said the "Open Skies Policy" was leading to tremendous growth in the aviation sector and the benefits of this growth would be seen in increased employment generation.

Open Skies is an international policy concept that calls for the liberalisation of the rules and regulations of the international aviation industry, especially commercial aviation, in order to create a free-market environment for the airline industry.

President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday appointed Suresh Prabhu as Civil Aviation Minister, two days after P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju stepped down as the Telugu Desam Party quit the Modi government.

--IANS

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