Welcome focus on regional air connectivity

Peeyush Naidu, partner, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP

The growth of civil aviation in India over the last decade has been phenomenal and India is on course to become an even larger aviation market. The Ministry of Civil Aviation through its Draft National Civil Aviation Policy 2015 proposed an inclusive expansion plan for the aviation sector by promoting regional air connectivity. The finance minister in today's budget speech focused on development of 160 non-functional airports at a cost of Rs50-100 crore each along with 10 of 25 defunct airstrips in partnership with state governments. This move will facilitate creation of necessary infrastructure for enhancing regional air connectivity and providing access by air to more parts of the country.''