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Air connectivity has reached every corner of India, says Scindia
The Union minister said that under the previous governments, the aviation sector was ignored but the BJP-led central government has ensured that the crucial sector receives the necessary impetus.
Panaji: Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Sunday credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the growth of the country’s aviation sector and said the central government was committed to improving air connectivity across India.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Mopa greenfield international airport, which has been named after four-time chief minister and former defence minister Manohar Parrikar, Scindia said: “PM Modi believes that development must take place across India and hence we have taken air connectivity to every corner of the country.”
The Union minister said that under the previous governments, the aviation sector was ignored but the BJP-led central government has ensured that the crucial sector receives the necessary impetus.
“We have set up 71 new airports in just eight years as against the 74 done in all the years before that. This year itself, a new terminal has been inaugurated at Bengaluru, Holongi and Mopa, which shows that a double-engine government focuses on development,” he said. The minister added that they were expecting an investment of ₹95,000 crore in the airport sector in the coming days.
Stating that Goa was a gateway to India, Scindia said the new airport could handle up to 33 million passengers in a year once fully operational. “We aim to have more and more airports in Goa,” he added.
The Mopa airport is constructed on a 2,132-acre plot of land and can handle up to 4.4 million passengers in a year in its first phase, according to officials aware of the matter.
Speaking during the inauguration of the airport, Scindia also said that the government will increase the number of airports, heliports, and seaports across the country from the current 145 to 220.
“India will see an addition of 500 aircraft to the current fleet size of 700 aircraft,” he added.
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