Aviation must not hinder but complement economic growth: Raju

Hyderabad, Mar 16: Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Wednesday said aviation sector should not become a bottleneck for economic activity and should complement the growth.

"Aviation should not be a bottleneck for economic activity but in the contrary it should contribute. Government of India is interested in a shift. We would like to move towards Make in India and skill India, because India is providing skills to lot of countries in the world," Raju said in his opening remarks in a session at India Aviation-2016 which began here today.

He said India is one of the few countries which enjoys all types of climatic conditions varying from snow-capped mountains to deserts that made the country unique among others.

Nadir Patel, Canadian High Commissioner to India said his country is uniquely placed to partner the growth of Indian aviation sector.

"Canada is home to many international aviation companies and agencies. If India looks to expand its aviation ecosystem, Canada is uniquely placed to share our experiences (such as) lost cost R and D," Patel said.

On Canada-India civil aviation cooperation, the Canadian envoy said the bilateral trade between the two countries increased substantially last year by 30 per cent year-on -year. He opined that there is still room for further growth. Susan Kurland, US Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs, in her speech said India is a long time partner for the US in aviation sector.

She said her country is eager to look forward the implementation on India’s Aviation Policy which is currently put up for public comments.

"One of the priorities in the United States we are working on is to work with our international counterparts in general and business aviation to foster the best environment," Kurland said adding the US is implementing a new generation satellite-based air traffic control system for "NextGen" for safety improvement and reducing delays and increasing fuel efficiency.

"Indian Gagan (GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation) and USA's NextGen are inter-operable," she opined. She said business aviation across the world is a growing segment in the aviation community and increasingly important to international economy.

PTI