RAKESH SHARMA
THE aviation sector will get a major boost with the expansion of smaller airports and development of airports in the hilly regions.
Indian skies will witness connectivity with smaller airports numbering 120 in the next 10 years, announced Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget speech. The International airports at Jewar and New Mumbai, with latest state-of-the-art facilities, will be opened for public in the coming months. The development and expansion of smaller airports and building airport infrastructure in the hilly regions will bring the viability of air connectivity between smaller cities.
With such a vision of the Narendra Modi Government for aviation development, the requirement of smaller aircraft will increase to cater to the demand of flyers from remote and smaller regions.
Indigo, the country’s largest air passenger carrier with 64 pc share of Indian skies, has already placed an order for 450-plus all range of aircraft followed by Air India, adding wings to India’s aviation development. While making the aviation announcement, FM thoughtfully kept the Bihar Assembly elections on the priority by declaring Patna as greenfield airport and the rest of Bihar on the aviation development map.
