Patel asks pvt sector to invest in aviation infra

New Delhi, Feb 2: Civil aviation minister Praful Patel today said that private sector must have greater participation in building airport infrastructure across the country.

''Building infrastructure is not the sole responsibility of government. If someone is willing to invest, we will have a look at the proposal,'' he said while speaking at a conference titled Aviation and Tourism: Roadmap for the Next Decade.

Mr Patel said India has over 400 air fields which can be developed to boost tourist traffic. Travel and tourism can lead to economic prosperity in the region, he said.

''The aspirations of young Indians have to be met. We must add new destinations on the country's aviation map.'' The minister said aviation infrastructure of the future should be able to handle high volume of traffic. On an average, a total 1,50,000 passengers travel daily by air.

A total of 1,147 flights are being operated by commercial airlines on daily basis.

Meanwhile, vice-president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat said air passenger services must improve and unconnected areas should be air linked.

''Travel and tourism can help eradicate poverty in the country,'' he said adding there is great scope for religous and adventure tourism.

In calendar year 2006, the number of domestic air passengers totalled about 64 million passengers while the number of international passengers moved up to 27 million, making India as one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the world.

UNI