New Delhi: Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu on Tuesday made a strong pitch for manufacturing civil aircraft within the country at the earliest, stating that international manufacturers are keen on partnerships.
The aviation industry is growing phenomenally and is estimated to create 2.5 crore jobs by 2040 while UDAN (Ude Desh Ke Aam Nagrik) will be targeting 4 crore passengers over the next decade, he said.
The next phase of UDAN – the Modified UDAN – was launched on Tuesday with 21 MoUs signed between the Ministry, the Airports Authority of India which is implementing the RCS scheme, and 21 MoUs with States and Union Territories.
The Challenge-based approach to prioritise airports aims to reduce the construction time of airports to 18 months from the present period of nearly three years.
Making a strong pitch for domestically manufacturing civil aircraft, the Minister called for improving the manufacturing ecosystem in the country. “There is much capability and talent within the country. The states have to strongly pursue it so that component manufacturing can flourish in their states.” International manufacturers are looking at India to be the strongest supply chain network in their ecosystem. “This is something we must collectively take advantage of,” he said.
Make-in-India civilian aircraft must be created as early as possible, he stressed. “We are entering into MoUs with the international aircraft manufacturers to make it a reality. They are all very interested in coming to India.“
The aviation sector presently faces a major bottleneck in the availability of aircraft, the Minister stressed. “We have one of the best networks and airports in the country. Every state now has very good airports. Connecting these airports is the challenge.”
UDAN has set itself an ambitious target of 4 crore passengers within the next ten years, Naidu said. This affordable air travel scheme has benefited nearly 1.54 crore passengers as on date through its 693 routes. “The Centre will spend nearly Rs 30,000 crore over the next ten years for the next phase of UDAN. Contributions from states and stakeholders could take the overall scale to Rs 60,000 crore,” he said.
A new airport boosts economic activity in the region. India’s aviation sector in 2014 used to support around 30 lakh jobs and it has grown enormously to support 77 lakh jobs presently. “By 2040, we estimate the aviation industry to provide 2.5 crore jobs,” he added. Airports like Teju in Arunachal Pradesh and Purnea in Bihar have transformed their states economically, he pointed out.
Elaborating on the ambitious targets proposed, Naidu said the goal was to establish 100 airports as well as 200 modern heliports within the next ten years. “It is important for us to plan for Viksit Bharat 2047 when India should ideally have more than 350 airports,” Naidu said.
Prioritisation of airports
Under the Challenge Mode announced today, State governments and Union Territories will be able to nominate airstrips and helipads for development under the next phase of UDAN through a dedicated portal. He also urged State governments to explore innovative options in regional connectivity and explore Aero Sports while island states could explore sea plane opportunities, he said.
