BANGALORE: Minister of State for Civil Aviation G M Siddeshwar on Saturday said uniform taxes on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) will help in reduction of flying costs and other charges.
Speaking at an discussion on ‘Innovation and R&D by Private Industries in Aerospace and Defence’, jointly organised by Society of Indian Aerospace Technologies (SIATI), HAL and ISRO, Siddeshwara said his ministry has sent a letter to all states in this regard seeking co-operation.
In view of the rise in air traffic, the ministry has proposed to have two more runways at Kempegowda International Airport.
“Land needs to be acquired for a third runway and the issue has been discussed with the chief minister,” he said.
He also said the airports at Hubli and Belgaum will be upgraded. Efforts are also being made to acquire land for expansion of the Mysore airport, Siddeshwar added.The Civil Aviation Ministry is planning to put 50 Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities on the aviation map.
In Karnataka, Shimoga, Gulbarga, Bellary, Bijapur and Hassan are on the list. Work on the airports are at various stages, he said. Siddeshwara also said his ministry is working on an idea to generate 50 MW of solar power utilising land in airports. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Chairman RK Tyagi felt that reopening of HAL airport will place Bangalore in the league of international cities that have more than one airport. To this, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he had discussed it with the Civil Aviation ministry, but there has been no response yet.
Tyagi also suggested the formation of an Indian Aeronautics Commission to bring various organisations and institutes, currently functioning under different ministries, under one umbrella for better cohesion and decision-making. He also spoke on issues like taxation, challenges faced by the aerospace industry in skill development and R&D, the need for civil-military integration in certain aerospace fields and importance of having an MRO hub in India.
Tyagi also pitched for cut in taxes on materials used for repair and overhaul of aircrafts. HAL plans to move from being a manufacturing unit to a technology unit and has already identified 111 technologies in the aviation sector. “A tenth of our profits will be used for research and development outside HAL, but we will have intellectual property rights,” he said.
The aviation sector will need over four lakh skilled workers over the next 10 years and the Centre has given its nod for setting up an Aeronautical University which will come up in two years.