2nd Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Civil Aviation: Delhi Declaration and India's Aviation Growth

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in News?
• Indian Aviation Sector
• Key Highlights of speech delivered by PM Modi

Why in News?

The 2nd Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Civil Aviation concluded with the adoption of Delhi Declaration. Delhi Declaration is a comprehensive framework aimed at enhancing regional cooperation, addressing emerging challenges, and fostering sustainable growth within the civil aviation sector.

The 2-day conference was organised by Ministry of Civil Aviation in collaboration with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). It witnessed engaging discussions and presentations focused on shaping the future of aviation in the Asia Pacific region.

Indian Aviation Sector

• Size
  • India is now the world’s third-largest aviation market and is also among the fastest-growing major aviation markets globally. 
    • It is expected to overtake China and the United States as the world's third-largest air passenger market in the next ten years, by 2030, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
  • In FY24, airports in India pegged the domestic passenger traffic to be 306.79 million, a 13.5% YoY growth, and international passenger traffic to be 69.64 million, a 22.3% YoY growth, over the same period last year.
• Budget 2024-25
  • According to the documents of the budget for 2024-25, the Ministry of Civil Aviation will get an allocation of Rs. 2,357 crore (US$ 282 million).
• Policy decisions
  • The Indian government has approved 100% FDI via the automatic route for the Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) sector.
  • NABH (NextGen Airports for Bharat) - Nirman is a government initiative to expand airport capacity more than five times to handle billions of trips a year, in the next 10-15 years.
  • AAI Startup Policy: Delivering a framework & mechanism for the interaction of AAI with internal and external stakeholders that catalyze innovation at airports and leveraging technology for addressing challenges and enhancing the delivery of services to passengers.
• Regulatory frameworks for the aviation sector
  • National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) 2016 guides the Indian aviation sector.
  • Aviation policy is broad-based in India and is dealt with by the Ministry of Civil Aviation under the legal framework of the Aircraft Act 1934, and Aircraft Rules 1937. 
  • The DGCA is the statutory regulatory authority which comes in for issues related to safety, licensing, airworthiness, and so on.
  • Airports Authority of India (AAI) manages and operates airports and provides air traffic management services.
  • Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) is responsible for laying down standards and measures for the security of civil flights and airports.
  • Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) regulates tariffs and other charges for aeronautical services provided at major airports. 
  • It also monitors performance standards of such services.
  • Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) - UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) aims to make air travel affordable and widespread by enhancing regional air connectivity through financial incentives, subsidies, and infrastructural support.

Key Highlights of speech delivered by PM Modi

• Emphasized on making the sector more inclusive for women
  • PM emphasized on making the sector more inclusive for women.
  • In India, 15% of the pilots are women which is more than the global average of 5%.
• India has become aviation inclusive
  • PM spoke about the transformation in the aviation sector in India in the last ten years and said from being aviation exclusive, India has become aviation inclusive. 
  • He added that a growing number of lower middle class and middle class Indians even from smaller cities and towns are now travelling by air.
• Proposed the idea of International Buddhist Circuit
  • PM urged the participating members to connect all the holy places related to Lord Buddha across Asia and create an International Buddhist Circuit.
  • It will benefit the civil aviation sector, the travellers, related countries and their economies as well.
• India to become a leading aviation hub by the end of the decade
  • The number of airports has doubled in India in the past 10 years.
    • With enhanced air connectivity in tier two and three cities, many cities will become new centres of growth in India.
  • The India of the future will be among the most well-connected regions globally. 
    • Airlines of India have placed orders for over 1,200 aircraft.
  • India is moving ahead with an aim to become a leading aviation hub by the end of the decade where the MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul) industry alone would be worth $4 billion. 
  • Hailed initiatives like regional connectivity scheme— Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN)
  • So far, 14 million people have travelled under the UDAN scheme. Lakhs of people have seen the inside of an aircraft for the first time due to this scheme.
• Affordable air taxis to become a reality in India
  • PM Modi said affordable air taxis will soon become a reality in India, bringing ease of travel in cities through advanced air mobility. 
• Use of drones in the agro sector
  • He also spoke about the government’s push towards using drones in the agro sector. 
  • Through our drone didi scheme, we have prepared a large number of trained drone pilots.

Q.1. What is the Delhi Declaration in the context of civil aviation?

The Delhi Declaration is a framework adopted at the 2nd Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Civil Aviation aimed at fostering regional cooperation and sustainable growth in aviation.

Q.2. How is India planning to enhance its aviation sector?

India is focused on increasing its airport capacity, enhancing regional connectivity through the UDAN scheme, and positioning itself as a leading global aviation hub by the end of the decade

Source: India aims to be a leading aviation hub by decade-end, has become ‘aviation inclusive’ in past 10 years: PM Modi | PIB | News on Air | Times of India