Hyderabad, March 10: India plans to build 200 low-cost airports within the next 20 years to attach tier-II and tier-III cities, said a civil aviation ministry official.
This will be one of the focus areas of India Aviation 2014, the country’s largest civil aviation exhibition and conference starting here Wednesday.
The event with the theme “Enhancing air connectivity” can have special session on ‘looking beyond metros’.
G. Ashok Kumar, joint secretary, civil aviation, told reporters here Monday that low-cost, little and no-frill airports would be inbuilt tier-II and tier-III cities, that are expected to spur the event of the aviation sector within the second section.
“As the operating and repair prices at the major airports are phenomenally high, there are plans to create little no-frill airports. they will have the basic infrastructure and can be like upgraded elegant railway stations,” he said.
The non-metro airports in India presently accounts for only regarding 30 % of the entire traffic, however is predicted to rise to 45 % within the next few years.
The government conjointly plans to construct 15 extra airports within the country underneath the Greenfield field Policy, by distinctive the most suitable low value viable model.
Airports Authority of India plans to speculate Rs.1,500 crore within the development of non metro airports during the 12th plan.
India is attending to invest over $120 billion within the development of field infrastructure; improvement in connecting infrastructure; development of world category air navigation services infrastructure and other connected activities to improve the air property.
India, one of the quickest growing aviation market within the world, presently ranks ninth however is predicted to become the third largest when US and China by 2020.
Indian field system is poised to handle 336 million domestic and eighty five million international passengers by 2020, from the present level of 121 million domestic and forty one million international passengers.
According to International air transport Association’s (IATA) Airline trade Forecast 2012-2016, India’s domestic air travel market would be among the highest 5 globally, experiencing the second highest growth rate at CAGR of 13.1 percent.
“About 400 craft are presently operational within the country and by 2020 the number is expected to achieve 1000 aircrafts,” said Ashok Kumar.
According to him, there’s a huge chance for MRO sector (Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul sector).
“Civil aviation is a highly regulated sector. this is an honest chance and we are focusing for India to emerge as a MRO hub,” he added.