Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Thursday that India has become the third largest domestic aviation market in the world.
Speaking at a curtain raiser event on ‘Wings India, 2022’, Scindia said that India presently handles the third largest domestic traffic after the US and China.
Mr Scindia said that the Indian Civil Aviation industry has witnessed robust growth over the years and contributes significantly to the economic development of the country. It is bringing people from across the world to discover the huge business and tourism opportunities in India, said the press release.
“We all know that in this densely globalised economy, air transport is a key element in the country’s transport infrastructure and plays an important role in the country’s economic growth,” he said.
The Union Minister lauded the support of the aviation industry
The Union Minister spoke on the support of the aviation industry in combating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic said that its impact was great as it carried enzymes, PPE kits, masks, medicines, and cargoes which states and union territories required.
The minister said that the overall freight handled by the country’s airports during the first two quarters of FY22 (combined) has recovered to more than 80 per cent (15.36 lakh MT during April-September FY22) of the pre-pandemic level, despite the country being hit by a severe second wave in the first quarter.
“To bring the benefits of the Civil Aviation to the common people and provide affordable air connectivity, Government of India had announced Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) – UDAN (UdeDesh Ka Aam Nagrik) on 21st October 2016. As on date, 387 routes connecting 62 Airports including 6 Heliports and 2 Water Aerodromes have been made operational under RCS-UDAN Scheme,” he said.