Aviation industry faces problems in developing infra: Experts

The aviation industry is facing major challenges like environmental clearances, acquisition of land and "obstructive" rules in developing its infrastructure, industry experts feel. The experts had asked the government and the environment agencies to give clearances to the development of new airports keeping in view their contribution to the country's economy. "Land acquisition is one of the major challenges in expansion and development of airports, as it is limited," Asian Institute of Transport Development Director (Aviation) T R Kesherwani said at the India Infrastructure Summit'09 here today. Airlines can expand themselves by buying or leasing aircraft within a short period of time but airports can only increase their capacity by expanding themselves, he said. The new greenfield airport at Navi Mumbai has run into trouble over environmental clearances and there is a need for long-term masterplan for development of the aviation sector in the country, experts said. v Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) India CEO Kapil Kaul stressed on the need for upgradation of air safety and communication and navigational systems. "There are certain rules in the aviation sector, which are obstructing the growth. These rules need to be upgraded to meet the international standards," Kaul said. Emphasising on the urgent need of providing training to manpower, he said the industry is facing shortage of trained technical staffs and this should not be ignored. With the Indian aviation industry expected to grow two to three fold by 2020, he said about Rs 3,000 crore would be needed for the development of airports, while around Rs 8,000 crore would be required for airlines and others related services. Also, the number of passengers is likely to increase to 400-450 million by 2020 from 110 million currently and the number of scheduled aircraft is estimated to go up to 1,000-1,500 from 600 at present, while non-schedules ones would go up to 1,000 by then. "This will need a long-term Master Plan for development of aviation infrastructure in the country," Kaul said.
Financial Express