Hyderabad, India, March 13, 2020: The Indian aviation industry came together to work towards making ‘Flying for All’ a reality at Day-2 of ‘Wings India 2020’. KT Rama Rao, Minister for Industries & Commerce, IT, Electronics & Communications and Municipal Administration & Urban Development, Government of Telangana, Malladi Krishna Rao, Health and Tourism Minister, Government of Puducherry, Arvind Singh, Chairman, Airports Authority of India, Ms. Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Govt of India, Dr. Sangita Reddy, President, FICCI and Joint MD of Apollo Hospitals Group and Anand Stanley, Chairman FICCI, Civil Aviation Committee and Managing Director, Airbus India, today inaugurated ‘Wings India 2020’ on the theme of ‘Flying For All’ with the support from the state government, industry partners and companies.
Speaking at the inaugural session, KT Rama Rao, Minister for Industries & Commerce, IT, Electronics & Communications and Municipal Administration & Urban Development, Government of Telangana, said, The Indian Aviation and Defense ecosystem has witnessed a significant growth trajectory in the past few years.
Telangana is the first state in India to take the union government’s advice to slash VAT on the aviation turbine fuel from 16% to 1%, this has given significant boost to the regional airline industry prompting leading operators to expand their operational base in Hyderabad. In line with the theme of ‘Wings India 2020’, we are now planning to re-activate old airports and airstrips, create 3 greenfield and 3 brownfield airports, and also establish a chain of heliports to connect the remotest parts of our state, he added.
Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India said “India is poised to become the epicenter of growth for this sector. Civil aviation is extremely important for any developing economy, it is not only a beneficiary for a good economy but also an enabler for the growth of the economy. Every entity in the civil aviation ecosystem has to work in tandem, almost in perfect coordination to make sure air traffic is safe and secure. ‘Wings India 2020’ is a platform for us to come together to work towards ensuring the growth of the sector.”
“The rapid expansion in India’s airport and air navigation structure will definitely fuel the huge business and tourism opportunities in our great country. Indian aviation will be the epicenter of the growth trajectory and will present a whole range of opportunities and challenges and such industry initiatives like ‘Wings India 2020’ are path-breaking,” said Arvind Singh, Chairman, Airports Authority of India
Dr. Sangita Reddy, President, FICCI and Joint MD of Apollo Hospitals Group, said “A scaled-down version of Wings India 2020 was conducted with only B2B conference & the public display was canceled. With necessary precautions of screening public with the scanners, hand sanitizers, distancing & the use of Namaste, we seem to be effectively showing the way of how one can conduct a safe conference and strike the right balance.”
FICCI-MoCA- Deloitte ‘UDAN 4.0+ knowledge paper on the changing landscape of the Indian aviation sector under the regional connectivity scheme’ was also released during the event.
The day also hosted a panel discussion on ‘Capacity Building- Airlines and Airports’ which saw the active participation of global CEOs and industry experts. “Regional jets as small as 50 seaters is an untapped opportunity for India that has a significant potential that is already tested successfully in other markets across the world,” said Cesar Pereira, Vice President, Embraer
“The new wave to optimize infrastructure cost is airside capacity, efficiencies in air traffic management with high-intensity operations is key,” said S. G. K. Kishore, CEO, GMR Hyderabad. Gavin Eccles, Managing Partner, GE Consulting & Advisory moderated the session emphasizing on how airports and the government together are finding opportunities to develop and support airlines.
