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Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, GoI, shares that the govt is working on improving air connectivity; the number of airports in the country will be increased to 200 by 2024 from current 140.
TT Bureau
Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India, said that the government is focusing on improving air connectivity, which will help the tourism sector. “Aviation and tourism are complementary sectors,” said Padhee, while addressing the 7th National Tourism Investors Meet 2022, organised by the FICCI in New Delhi recently.
Talking about the Indian aviation sector, Padhee said that India is the third largest aviation market and growing exponentially. “The number of airports (in the country) has increased remarkably. We have 140 airports today and by 2024, the number will reach 200. Number of aircraft are also increasing despite the hike in ATF prices; airlines are able to provide the required services and we hope that they will get some relief soon and be able to expand their capacity.”
Highlighting the effect of the pandemic on the travell industry, Padhee said, “COVID-19 was one disruption, but structurally we need to know what our responsibilities are. Our challenges are not limited to a post-COVID era but will continue for some time to come. People have started to travel, and it is good news that the tourism industry is recovering. We have to be resilient and wiser. The pandemic has taught new practices that we call the new normal. And that is the way forward.”
She emphasised on improving connectivity, infrastructure, management, and tourism practices. “Sustainable and responsible tourism is what we need to focus on. We need to keep working on all those issues which have been present before COVID-19 and still exist and move forward based on what we have learned,” she said. “The government is working to connect the North-Eastern states with more global flights. Coordination between the stakeholders is critical in this,” she added.
