AIRPORTS ECONOMIC REGULATORY BILL PASSED IN LOK SABHA

NEW DELHI: The Airport Authority of India will give priority to airports in smaller cities and ensure inauguration of newer airports, Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Thursday as he piloted the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Bill for passage in the Lok Sabha.

“We have identified five zones for this clubbing, which include north, south, east, west, and northeast zone. Based on this clubbing... Airport Authority of India will be giving a priority to airports in smaller cities and newer airports will also be inaugurated…” Scindia said.

Hailing the efforts of the Narendra Modi-led government for making air travel accessible for everyone, he said: “PM Modi truly democratised travel. In the midst of the spread of the coronavirus and when there is sloganeering, our government is committed to the development of the poor and the farmers.”

He also listed various areas that have benefited from the Udaan scheme for regional connectivity. Over the past year and a half, smaller cities such as Darbhanga in Bihar, Belgaum and Hubli in Karnataka, Jharsuguda in Odisha and Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh, which were earlier “missing” from the map of civil aviation, witnessed 110 flight movements, he said.

The bill, which was passed through a voice vote in LS, proposes an amendment to the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Act, 2008, to modify the definition of “major airports” and expand the scope of determining tariffs for smaller airports.