Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu today said the number of flight passengers has doubled during the last decade. The Minister said this while addressing the signing ceremony for the order of forty ATR 72-600 aircraft by a private regional airline company in New Delhi. Mr. Naidu said that the deal signed today demonstrates the enormous potential of the country’s civil aviation market. Mr Naidu also stressed that India is looking to expand its aviation network in all forms and across all the sectors. Talking about the UDAN scheme, the Civil Aviation Minister said that the next phase of the scheme will be a stepping stone for the regional airlines to consolidate more operations in the country. He added that the government aims to build hundred new airports in the next ten years and is committed to seeing more airlines start their operations in the country.
Speaking on the occasion, Secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Samir Kumar Sinha said that India is one of the fastest growing and dynamic civil aviation markets in the world. He said that with key priority on regional connectivity, the Government is actively working on bringing the benefits of air connectivity to Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
