India Has Become World's Third Largest Domestic Aviation Market: Jyotiraditya Scindia

Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya Scindia, on Thursday (19 November) inaugurated a curtain raiser event about Wings India, 2022 which is Asia's largest event on Civil Aviation.

Wings India 2022 aims to bring together the key stakeholders of the global aviation market, international regulators, states governments and business associations as a group representing airlines to facilitate direct interaction with various airlines, airport operators, cargo operators and other players at a common platform.

Speaking on occasion, Scindia said that the Indian Civil Aviation industry has witnessed robust growth over the years and contributes significantly to the country's economic development.

The Minister said that the Indian aviation industry has grown by leaps and bounds and has become the third-largest domestic aviation market in the world. Currently, India handles the third-largest domestic traffic after the US and China.

He said that with a steady increase in the passenger volume, Indian airlines are charting new territories. The Minister said that the overall freight handled by the country's airports during the first two-quarters of FY-22 combined has recovered to more than 80 per cent of the pre-pandemic level, despite the country being hit by a second wave in the first quarter.

"To bring the benefits of Civil Aviation to the common people and provide affordable air connectivity, the Government of India announced Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) - UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) on 21 October 2016. As of date, 387 routes connecting 62 Airports, including six heliports and two water aerodromes, have been made operational under the RCS-UDAN scheme," he said.