Policy framework to be aligned with aviation industry needs:PM

New Delhi, July 3 (PTI) Indian Government's regulatory
and policy framework should be aligned with the requirements
of the civil aviation industry to encourage serious investment
in the sector that can absorb upto 120 billion dollars by
2020, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Saturday.
Inaugurating the new integrated terminal building of
the IGI airport here, he said with India occupying an
important geographical position in the global air route
structure, the "hub traffic" out of Delhi and Mumbai was bound
to grow in the coming years.
"We need to create safe, secure, efficient and
environment-friendly systems conducive to healthy growth of
the civil aviation sector", he said, adding that the
government was working to achieve these goals.
While the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority has
been set up as a regulator for airports to monitor issues like
airport charges and service standards, the Directorate General
of Civil Aviation was being strengthened, he said.
"It is estimated that India's aviation sector has the
potential to absorb up to USD 120 billion of investment by the
year 2020," he said.
"Our regulatory and policy framework also needs to be
alligned with the needs of the civil aviation industry to
encourage serious investment in the sector. Our government is
working to achieve these goals," the Prime Minister said.
Expressing happiness over completion of the terminal
in a record time of 37 months, he said the terminal
establishes new global bench marks and exemplifies India's
resolve to bridge the infrastructure deficit. It has proved
the success of the Public Private Partnership model in
execution of large infrastructure projects.
Constructed months ahead of the Commonwealth Games,
Terminal-3 or T-3 is the world's sixth largest and would
handle both domestic and international traffic. Built at a
cost of Rs 9,000 crore, T-3 has three functional runways, 168
check-in counters, 78 aerobridges (Singapore has 64) and a
capacity to handle 34 million passengers a year.
Noting that India had become the world's ninth largest
aviation market in a span of few years, Singh said ten
scheduled airlines were operating now compared to two in 1990.
During the same period the number of aircraft deployed by the
airlines has gone up four times, from 100 to 400.
He said the analysts have predicted that domestic
traffic in India can increase up to 160 to 180 million
passengers and international in excess of 50 million by 2020.
With the worldwide ranking of Delhi airport improving
from 101 in 2007 to 21 in 2010 in terms of service quality,
Singh also hoped that the airport will shortly rank among the
first 10 airports of the world. (more) PTI SMJ
MRD


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