The recently concluded Global Aviation Summit 2019 witnessed the gathering of aviation experts from across the globe and set the stage for a multidimensional conversation —addressing the challenges the sector faced in the development of proper infrastructure, sustainability as an important facet in air travel and how technology-driven innovations would bridge the gap in aviation.
Few highlights from the Global Aviation Summit 2019:
- As per the Vision 2040 document released at the summit, India’s air passenger traffic is expected to grow sixfold to 1.1 billion per year by 2040.
- With India being one of the fastest growing aviation sectors in the world, the domestic industry has been developing at 20 per cent annually for the last four years.
- Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Commerce and Industry and Civil Aviation stressed the need to cultivate all avenues of technology to tackle challenges associated with air travel. Considering the rise in fuel prices, the minister urged the delegates to participate in collective thinking to bring about greater reforms. He promoted safety, sustainability and smoother travel.
- Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra announced that the Navi Mumbai airport is expected to be functional by mid-2020. Additionally, around nine more airports in the country are in the pipeline.
- To further strengthen the Make in India initiative, the government is working towards developing an infrastructure for aircraft manufacturing and financing within India.
- Adding to the Drone policy launched last year, the government may allow the commercial use of drone as taxis and delivery vehicles.
- New air cargo policy was unveiled, that aims at ensuring smooth flow of goods across the country, and encourage code sharing/inter-line agreements between foreign and Indian carriers.
