Civil Aviation Min to focus on developing new airports, boosting regional air connectivity

Continuing efforts to bolster the Indian aviation sector, the civil aviation ministry will focus on developing new airports, enhancing regional connectivity and training hub for people in the sector, according to an official.

India is one of the largest aviation markets in the world and annual air passenger traffic is estimated to touch 1.1 billion in the coming years.

As the new regime is to take charge, the ministry is working on various plans that seek to strengthen the aviation infrastructure, further improve air connectivity as well as create the necessary ecosystem for skill development, the official said.

Various initiatives, taken up during the tenure of outgoing Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu, including air cargo and green aviation policies, and the road map for drone ecosystem would also be taken forward, the official added.

The ministry would encourage development of airports by state governments, private player and through public private partnership.

State governments would be encouraged to develop new airports in their respective states by forming the special purpose vehicles, the official added.

Over the next two decades, over 80-90 new airports are likely to come up under the NABH Nirman initiative. These would include regional airports and second or third aerodromes in large cities, the official added.

NABH (NextGen Airports for BHarat) Nirman initiative, launched in 2018, mainly focuses on fair and equitable land acquisition and balanced economics for stakeholders.