TravTalk India Online Magazine
The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation is in the process of creating a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), which will work on the development of an indigenous commercial aircraft, announced KR Naidu, Civil Aviation Minister, GoI, at the Global Aviation and Air Cargo Summit 2024, organised by the PHDCCI in New Delhi recently.
Surbhi Sharma
The PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) organised the 10th edition of Global Aviation and Air Cargo Summit at PHD House in New Delhi recently. The summit, themed ‘Skies of Change-Shaping a New Futuristic Aviation Ecosystem, showcased the latest developments shaping the aviation sector of India and discussed new strategies for business growth. It also aimed to address the transformative shifts and explore innovative strategies for a sustainable, efficient, and forward-looking aviation and air cargo landscape to achieve India’s aspirations of becoming a global hub and leader.
KR Naidu, Civil Aviation Minister, Government of India, was the Chief Guest at the event, which saw participation from various industry stakeholders.
‘Make in India’ aircraft
Addressing the summit, Naidu said India is moving ahead with its plans to develop an indigenous commercial aircraft. “The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation is in the process of creating a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV). All the stakeholders, including government entities, as well as private sector companies, will work together for five years to overcome the challenges associated with the development of an indigenous aircraft,” he said.
Adhering to the Aatmanirbhar Bharat agenda, the Lok Sabha passed the Bhartiya Vayuyan Vidheyak Bill 2024, which includes regulations for aircraft design and manufacture.
Stakeholders’ involvement
Offering gratitude to the PHDCCI for bringing together experts from the aviation sector, air cargo sector, and other verticals of civil aviation, at the summit, he said, “By working together, we can address the challenges, seize opportunities and ensure sustainable development of the aviation industry. Indian aviation sector today is at a transformative crossroads marked by rapid growth and forward-looking vision under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As one of the fastest growing aviation sectors in the world, India has witnessed a remarkable change in passenger traffic, cargo movement and overall connectivity in the last 10 years.” The whole concept of Gati Shakti is utilising the advantages of each sector and trying to bring everything together. “That is where the industry must come up with innovative ideas and solutions,” the minister told the stakeholders, while assuring them that his ministry will help them out by creating the right infrastructure and bringing the right policies. Naidu said, “It’s high time that we must move into the idea of having our own freight corridors, freight carriers, at least between the metro cities domestically, so that there is a network created in terms of air cargo. Hence, we want all the private players also to come in, to have these solutions in terms of technology, or in terms of infrastructure.”
Industry growth
Talking about the industry growth, Naidu highlighted the increasing number of airports in the country. “In 2014, we had 74 airports, which have now grown to a staggering number of 157. Our domestic air passenger growth has also risen from 67 million in 2014 to 152 million in 2023 and the fleet size, which was around 400 flights for the Indian carriers in 2014, has surged to more than 700,” he said.
