Airport Economic Regulatory Authority on the anvil
21 May 2007
Addressing a session on `The challenge of connectivity' at the `Look South 2007' seminar conducted by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) here on Saturday, Srivastav said 300 new aircraft would be added to the country's airspace over the next five years.
Such a phenomenal increase in numbers would necessitate additional airport infrastructure and also require an addition of about 5,000 pilots, besides other airport staff. Consequently, the government would have to make 300 airstrips operational, which were currently defunct.
This apart, airports in tier-II and tier-III cities would also have to be developed, he said.
Addressing the seminar, general manager of Singapore Airlines, Foo Chai Woo, said that liberalisation of routes through an 'open sky' policy was a must and that frequency to and from the south Indian cities to major world destinations ought to be enhanced.
He also said that international players should be allowed to augment their services.