New Delhi, May 20 (IANS). Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu on Wednesday said India needs to remain alert amid the worsening geopolitical situation in West Asia. He also said that the current situation is not a matter of concern for India at present.
Speaking to reporters during his maiden visit to Ranchi, the minister said the government and key sectors, including aviation, are continuously monitoring the changing situation and preparing strategies to deal with any possible impact.
“The situation is not worrying right now, but we need to remain alert. Every sector, including civil aviation, will have to assess its impact and prepare short-term, medium-term and long-term strategies,” Naidu said.
Talking about the concerns being raised regarding increase in air fares amid global uncertainty, the Minister said that the Central Government has already taken steps to ensure that there is no additional financial burden on the passengers.
He said that to help the airlines and maintain stability in fares, the prices of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) as well as landing and parking charges at the airport have also been reduced.
Naidu also mentioned the recent decision of the Delhi government to reduce the value-added tax on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) from 25 per cent to 7 per cent.
“Around five lakh passengers travel daily on domestic routes. We are constantly keeping an eye on the airfares. If the demand increases, we will increase connectivity and deploy more aircraft,” he said.
During his visit the Minister launched several initiatives for passengers at Birsa Munda Airport and announced that the revised version of the regional connectivity scheme ‘UDAN’ will be launched soon with an estimated allocation of about Rs 29,000 crore.
He said the revised plan aims to develop 100 new airports and 200 helipads in the next decade.
The government is also planning to expand the ‘Udaan Yatri Café’ initiative at airports to provide affordable food options to passengers.
Highlighting the Centre’s aviation roadmap, the minister said modernization of airports and better connectivity with major cities of India remain the main priorities.
He said, “The number of airports, passengers and aircraft has doubled in the last 10 years. While there were only 74 airports in 2014, there are now 165 airports in the country. No other country has seen such a rapid increase in the number of airports.”
–IANS
SHK/ABM
