Exclusive | India’s Aviation Sector is Now World #3: Jayant Sinha

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha in an exclusive conversation with The Quint.

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government will complete three years in office on 26 May. How has the government fared in the last three years? What challenges does it plan to take on going forward, while keeping an eye on the 2019 polls?

Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Jayant Sinha, assessed the three years gone by, and two more to come, in an exclusive conversation with The Quint’s Editorial Director Sanjay Pugalia.

Looking at the elections and various survey ratings, you’ll see that the Modi government is on top.

MoS Jayant Sinha

Here are a few observations he made about India’s aviation sector:

• When the Modi government came to power, we were at 7th or 8th position in the aviation industry. We then accelerated our growth by 20-25 percent and now stand at the third position.
• ‘Udan’ Yojana has been focussing on regional airlines. Tier-3 and -4 towns that were earlier not part of the aviation network will soon be connected via the yojana.
• IndiGo will be purchasing 50 new aircrafts for the ‘Udan’ Yojana.
• We have provided incentives for regional airlines so they can connect Tier-3 and -4 cities.

• While working on policies, we try to create a balance where the consumer benefits and we also keep in mind the market sustainability and viability. There is a price cap on fares for 50 percent seats and the rest will depend on market pricing.
• Our country has been progressing at such a fast pace that our airports, bus stands and railway stations are now turning into the temples of ‘New India’.
• Our No 1 infrastructure project is the Delhi airport. There are currently six crore passenger trips a year and will increase to 11 crore soon.
• Our ‘Digi Yatra’ initiative plans to make flying simpler for all. Your fingerprint or facial recognition will help you get your boarding pass. Like India Stack and there will also be a travel stack.
• Earlier, there were different security architectures at airports, but now we will focus on a unified system. We look at aviation as one and there will be no compromise on safety.