Northern Region Ministers' Conference on Civil Aviation held in Dehradun
The session witnessed the participation of Ministers and senior officials from States/UTs of Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Ladakh and Chandigarh, along with senior officials from Ministry of Civil aviation including Samir Kumar Sinha, Secretary, Civil Aviation; Fiaz Ahmed Kidwai, DG DGCA; Vipin Kumar, Chairman, Airports Authority of India and Rajesh Nirwan, DG BCAS.
Participation of over 100 aviation industry players exemplified the significance of having closer collaboration with the State Governments.
The deliberations were focussed on actionable strategies for strengthening connectivity, infrastructure, and investment across Northern India's aviation landscape.
FICCI and Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority provided the vital industry interface for organising the first Regional Conference.
The Conference is the start of a series of Regional Conferences, conceptualised for deepening Centre-State-Industry collaboration in the Aviation sector.
Speaking at the inaugural session, Union Minister of Civil Aviation Kinjarappu Rammohan Naidu said, 'Through this strategic initiative we aim to identify the regional opportunities and unlock the vast potential of Tier II and Tier III cities. If we look at the sector through numbers, then we can clearly see the scale of the opportunity that exists. In just 10 years, we have added 88 new airports, that is nearly one new airport every 40 days. In the last 10 years, we have added 60 additional flights every hour. Flying in India today is more accessible, more available and more affordable. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi, Indian skies are more connected, competitive and collaborative.'
He reiterated the Ministry's commitment to collaborative, state-specific strategies for achieving inclusive aviation growth.
Chief Minister, Uttarakhand Pushkar Singh Dhami graced the inaugural function as the Chief Guest.
He underlined the pivotal role of aviation in enhancing regional connectivity, enabling tourism, and supporting socio-economic development in the State of Uttarkhand.
He appreciated the phenomenal growth in the Aviation sector. He also highlighted the prime importance of ensuring safety in the aviation operations including helicopter operations in the hilly terrain of the State for which the State Govt and the Ministry are deeply committed.
After a series of presentations by the Ministry on opportunities for the States in the sector, there were one on one interactions by the State Govt teams with the Ministry team led by the Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarappu Rammohan Naidu.
This provided a unique opportunity for the state Govts of Northern Region to have close interaction with Ministry highlighting their requirements and suggestions. Concurrently, States also had interaction with the Industry players spanning airlines, OEMs, FTOs, MROs and PSUs such as AAI and PHL.
The Conference concluded with a plenary session which provided an overall outlook emerging from the one day Conference.
Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, Union Minister of Civil Aviation, outlined the Ministry's strategic priorities for the region, including the development of heliport infrastructure, expansion of UDAN routes, strengthening of Flying Training Organizations and MRO hubs, and creating synergies between the Centre, States, and industry stakeholders.
The Minister also reflected on key outcomes from the one-on-one meetings held between the Ministry and State delegations, and parallel sessions between State Governments and aviation industry leaders, and assured all support from the Central Government in taking the aviation sector forward.
The Plenary Session reaffirmed the Government's commitment to building a robust, inclusive, and future-ready civil aviation ecosystem across the Northern Region--driving the broader vision of Viksit Bharat @2047 through enhanced connectivity, regional empowerment, and sustainable growth.
The Conference marks a significant milestone in India's aviation journey--ushering in a new era of regional collaboration, innovation, and growth with clear action points, strong Centre-State alignment and active industry participation. (ANI)
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