Scindia pitches for intl aviation hub in India

New Delhi: Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday said there needs to be anchor airlines at particular airports, more wide body aircraft as well as synergy between domestic and international departures to have an international aviation hub in India. The country's civil aviation sector is on the recovery path after being hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and is projected to have 400 million air travellers in the coming years.

"We are in the growth phase and there are tremendous opportunities on the airlines and airports side," Scindia said. He emphasised the need for a committed and concerted effort by all stakeholders to make an international hub in the country. There must be an international hub in India and there must be anchor airlines at particular airports. Besides, airlines must have wide body aircraft to transport passengers internationally, he noted.

"We must also make sure that there is a synergy between domestic departures and international departures. The slot allocation must be based on that. "I think we must take one or two airports and make a model of that... it is work in progress," the Union Civil Aviation Minister said. Speaking at a conference organised by industry body Assocham, Scindia said the country is expected to see a total of 400 million air travellers in the next 7 to 10 years.

He also said there are tremendous growth opportunities for domestic airlines and they are expected to have a fleet of 1,200 planes in five years. There were around 200 million air passengers, including domestic and international travellers, pre-pandemic and the number is expected to double to 400 million over the next 7 to 10 years, the minister said. The country is projected to have a total of 220 airports, including heliports and aerodromes, by 2026.