Centre Prepares Draft Civil Aviation Policy To Promote Air Ports As International Hubs

20 April, New Delhi

The Centre has drawn up a draft Civil Aviation Policy with a view to promote certain airports as international hubs for entry and exit gateways in the future.

So far, the airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kolkata have been identified for development as major international hubs for travel to and from India. Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju stated this in the Lok Sabha Monday.

Referring to some State governments’ requests to upgrade certain domestic airports to international standards, he said that the Airports Authority of India, AAI, will consider them and this is an ongoing process.

He recalled that the airports at Lucknow, Varanasi, Tiruchirapalli, Mangalore, Coimbatore, Bhubaneswar and Imphal have been upgraded to international standard in the last three years. Also, the AAI has developed the airports at Bhopal, Indore and Raipur to international status, he said.