Civil aviation sector on upswing, 75 airports built in 10 years, says Scindia

Nagpur, Jan 12: Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday said 75 new airports have been built in the last 10 years as part of the Narendra Modi government’s vision to bring air travel within the reach of a vast number of common citizens, and asserted the key sector was on the upswing and still holds a lot of potential.
The government plans to raise the number of airports in the country to 220 from the present 149 in the next 5 to 7 years, he said.
Earlier people only heard about airlines getting shut down in India, but now things have changed and new air carriers are being established to make flying accessible to citizens, he said.
Scindia was speaking at the formal inauguration of the aircraft Maintenance Repair Overhaul (MRO) facility of AAR-Indamer at Mihan SEZ in Nagpur.
He said the facility’s inauguration was a very important event in the history of MRO evolution in India.
“This event is significant in many ways as it signifies the coming of age of civil aviation in India. Civil aviation has enjoyed a historical journey in India and the sector is over 100 years old. But, it is now that the sector has assumed tremendous scale and offers vast opportunities,” said the minister.
He said India’s civil aviation sector had only 400 aircraft 10 years ago, but the number has grown to 713 planes at the last count and more will be added going forward.
The minister informed that Air India, now a private entity, has placed orders for 470 aircraft – 250 from Airbus and 220 from Boeing, while leading carrier IndiGo is buying 500 planes, reflecting vast potential in the aviation sector.
These orders are historic not just for India, but also international aviation, he said. “Four new airlines have been born out of the vision delineated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His vision is very clear – to bring the common man into flying space and sow seeds of development in their lives. Make the impossible possible,” he said.
A few decades ago, people in India only heard about airlines getting shut down, he said.
“The Indian aviation industry is on the upswing from the perspective of all stakeholders. As many as 75 new airports have been built in the last 10 years, taking the total count to 149 airports (including helipads and aerodromes). Our vision is to take this milestone from 149 to 220 airports in the next 5 to 7 years. We have Rs 1 lakh crore capex plan in place,” he said.
Scindia added that air passenger traffic has increased considerably.
The passenger traffic, which was close to 6 crore per annum ten years ago, has now grown by 130 per cent, he said. Scindia said the aviation ministry should play the role of not just a regulator but facilitator.
Later in the day, Scindia reviewed the new terminal building at the Pune airport. (PTI)