TravTalk India Online Magazine
Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), shares her views on how they are collaborating with the Ministry of Tourism to boost connectivity to both metro and non-metro destinations across the country, and in turn increase the number of domestic, as well as international tourists in the country.
NishaVerma
Acknowledging the growth of air connectivity across India, UshaPadhee has said that there are many destinations where unimaginable progress in connectivity has happened.
Domestic success
Padhee claimed that post-COVID, MoCA has done very well in the domestic sector. “In 2019, we were the third largest domestic market with 140 million domestic passengers and around 70 million international passengers and had hoped that by 2024, India will be the third largest aviation market overall. While the target would still be reached, it will take a little more time.”
She revealed that they have many domestic routes opening, especially for non-metro cities. “Since the opening has been calibrated, we have only 85% of the capacity opened up. Perhaps in a month or so, we will be having 100 % capacity, which would increase domestic connectivity, including regional, that has contributed hugely in shifting people from metros to non-metros,” she commented.
Tourism & Aviation
Citing that earlier the Ministries of Civil Aviation and Tourism were same and were subsequently bifurcated, Padhee said, “A different vertical doesn’t mean that the collaboration or dependency on each other has been reduced. Under the collaboration with MOT, MoCA has specifically formed some tourist routes where some VGF is coming from the tourism ministry. We are also focusing domestically on the helicopters as new mode of transportation. Under Buddhist Circuit, destinations like Kushinagar, Gaya, Shrawasti, may have helicopter operations, which would support tourism. Water aerodromes, on the other hand, have not been very upcoming. However, once it is adapted by the tourists, there would be many sea plane operations, especially in the Andaman and Lakshadweep, where we are developing around 15 destinations,” she informed.
Padhee added that the support from state governments is significant, both for domestic and international connectivity. “Support from states through promotion can make international routes very attractive. States can also contribute in reducing the taxes on ATF, and we are taking it up with them. State governments, for the aviation sector, have been very progressive and many airports are being developed. If everything goes well, 17 airports will be coming up in the state of Uttar Pradesh. I believe that MoCA and MOT working together can bring substantial changes and take the sectors to greater heights.”
International border opening
While Padhee doesn’t see international borders opening very soon, she said there have been efforts from the Ministry of External Affairs. “The two major issues to be addressed include mutual recognition of the vaccination certification and the testing protocols. We already have bilateral agreements with 28 countries. Once we have bilateral agreement with a country, we need to ensure that there is seamless movement between them, whether it is with the IATA pass or what ICAO is working on. With the bilateral agreements, international flights would gradually open. Currently, it’s not more than 20%, but in the coming days, it might go up to 50% even if international borders don’t open completely. We are also working on a portal, which will give a third-party key, athough, we have Cowin that gives certification. ICMR now has come up with QR based certification and madetest reports available online.”
She highlighted that the good news is that Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is working on tourist visas. “When that comes up, the numbers may improve almost immediately, especially to states that receive many international passengers,” she said.
