Visakhapatnam, Nov 12 (IANS) ‘Made in India’ civilian aircraft will take to the skies within the next two years, Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu announced here on Thursday.
Addressing a special plenary session as part of the 31st CII Partnership Summit here, he said that India's civil aviation sector stands as a model for the world, and a fully indigenously manufactured civil aircraft will be ready in two years.
Speaking on "The Next Step for Indian Aviation: Connectivity, Capacity, Competitiveness", he said that while the country had 74 airports in 2014, the number has now grown to 166. He explained that the UDAN scheme has brought air travel within the reach of the common man, and as a result, the annual number of passengers has reached 25 crore.
He stated that under the second phase of UDAN, which began with a budget of Rs. 30,000 crore, another 100 airports and 200 modern heliports will be built in the country by 2036.
He added that the introduction of modern technology such as "Digi Yatra" for passenger convenience at airports has reduced entry time from 90 seconds to 20 seconds.
The Minister praised Andhra Pradesh for advancing rapidly in the civil aviation sector under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu. He said it was commendable that Bhogapuram International Airport was completed six months ahead of the stipulated deadline.
He stated that the state government is working to establish an Aerospace and Defence City near Lepakshi in Anantapur district. He also mentioned that plans are being prepared to launch Seaplane services between Prakasam Barrage, Srisailam and Hussain Sagar in Hyderabad.
The Minister called upon industry circles and young entrepreneurs to seize the opportunity, saying this is the right time to invest in aircraft component manufacturing, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), drones and air taxis.
The plenary discussed the next areas of development in the civil aviation sector, including expanding air connectivity in the country, increasing the capacity of airports and airlines, and building international-level competitiveness.
Vaibhav Vohra, Co-Chair, CII National Committee on Civil Aviation & MD, Continental Carriers; Jodhbir Singh Sachdeva, Partner, KPMG; Anubhav Kumar, Head of Strategy & Government Policy, Boeing India & South Asia; and Dr Abhay Pashilkar, Director, CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories took part in the plenary.
Meanwhile, Ram Mohan Naidu posted on ‘X’ that he met with the Minister of International Trade of Canada, Maninder Sidhu, on the sidelines of the Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam.
“Discussed opportunities to deepen India-Canada cooperation in civil aviation, with more partnerships between Indian MSMEs and the Canadian aviation industry. We also explored strengthening air cargo connectivity to facilitate bilateral trade and opportunities in aviation training and skill development,” he said.
--IANS
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