“Emerging Scenario in Aviation : India Needs Matching Infrastructure & Support Services”; FAST Seminar on 28th Dec. at India International Centre.

Year End Review 2023 for Ministry of Civil Aviation 2023 is just out. It has been an eventful year for the Ministry of Civil Aviation as indicated in all-round achievements (Posted On: 23 DEC 2023 1:28PM by PIB Delhi); top items-

• 60 New RCS routes commenced in 2023; 154 New RCS Routes awarded under UDAN; 12 new RCS routes commenced in North East
• More than 91 lakh passengers availed the facility of Digi Yatra, Over 35 lakh users downloaded the app
• 3 more Greenfield airports operationalized
• 456 more posts of Air Traffic Controllers Created
• 34 DGCA-approved FTOs operating at 55 bases till Nov 2023
• DGCA issued an all-time high, 1562 Commercial Pilot Licenses
• About 9 thousand remote pilot certificates issued through Digital Sky Platform
• India’s domestic air passenger traffic touches record high“

When I posted the title of this article on my social media Page, there were many replies, e.g., It’s a Friend Day, National Chocolate Candy Day, National Card Playing Day, Festival Time Of Winter … and many more! But to we Aviators and Tourism enthusiasts our focus is on Emerging Scenarios that India needs matching infrastructure and support services.  Recently the Honorable Minister for Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya Scindia held a meeting with airport operators and discussed ways to tackle congestion at airports.  With the travel season just around the corner, it is must, but being undertaken at the apex level highlights the importance and it makes headlines in newspapers. I am not going into what happened there, rather what is going to be addressed on the subject on 28th Dec. 2023 at India International Centre.

The Seminar titled “Emerging Scenario in Aviation : India Needs Matching Infrastructure & Support Services” ; with Chief Guest General (Dr) VK Singh, PVSM, AVSM, YSM (Retd.), Hon’ble Minister of State for Civil Aviation, GoI and Guests of Honour; Shri Dushyant Chautala, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister, Govt of Haryana,(confirmation to address the gathering  is still awaited),  Shari Arvind Singh, IAS,  former Secretary (Tourism), Shri Sanjeev Kumar, IAS, Chairman, AAI, Shri Sanjeev Razdan, CMD, Pawan Hans, Shri Kapil Kaul, CEO, Asia Pacific Region, CAPA; the galaxy of speakers on one dais with Lt. Gen. Seth, PVSM, AVSM Iretd.), former Governor of Tripura and Chhattisgarh and President, FAST (Foundation for Aviation and Sustainable Tourism) speaks volumes about the sensitivity of the subject.

Immediately after the Inaugural, the two  Business Sessions, dedicated to Capacity Building and Enhancing Operational Capabilities and moderated by Dr. Sharad Kumar, Member , Operations, AAI and Dr. RK Tyagi, former Chairman, HAL.  Vote of thanks by Shri Raman Sidhu, FCA, Chairman, EBG Federation, India & Life Trustee FAST and Shri VP Agrawal, former Chairman, AAI and Vice president FAST; for Inaugural and Valedictory sessions , respectively.

A peep into the programme  outline reveals that Business  Session  –  1 : will deal with  Capacity  Building in  Airports  which will include topics such as : Airport  Infrastructure, Runways additions/Improvements, Terminal additions/optimum utilisation, Airspace  capacity, Allied facilities for users of airports and issues will be addressed by none other than the persons at the helms of affair, i.e.; Shri  A K Dutta, former Member (ANS)  –  Airports Authority of  India, Shri RP Singh, Senior Member, Jt.Working Group, Govt. of Haryana, Ms. Charul  Shukla, Executive Director (Architecture), AAI and Shri Subir Hazra,  GMR Group.

Business Session – 2  will deal with  Enhancing Operational capabilities to face

future emerging challenges, including key areas such as Airline operations, Airline crew, Baggage  Handling, Ground support, MROs, Cargo  and  Skill Development.  Galaxy of speakers includes; Shri  Kamal Hingorani, Chief (Cargo), SpiceJet, Shri  HR Jagannath, former CEO – Air India Eng. Services Ltd., Shri  Pulak Sen, Convenor – MRO Association of India , Representative(s) from Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.

Seminars, workshops, and presentations are extremely beneficial to people since these enable them to evaluate, stay up to date on current events, comprehend concepts, and build their network.  But there is something beyond that too ! It is important for the industry as they can address their point to the audience which may include government.

Seminars give us  intensive exposure to a topic through presentations and discussions led by multiple experts. To me,  Seminars are an ideal opportunity  to learn something without reading and investing elaborate time and efforts and it is time empty the Cup and Fill it Fresh!