Fully indigenous civil aircraft to fly within two years, says Naidu

Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu said on Thursday, 12 November, at the 31st CII Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam that a fully indigenously manufactured civil aircraft will take to the skies within two years. He noted that the number of airports has grown from 74 in 2014 to 166 now, and annual passenger numbers have reached 25 crore. Under the second phase of the UDAN scheme, backed by a Rs 30,000-crore budget, another 100 airports and 200 modern heliports will be built by 2036.

Naidu praised Andhra Pradesh for completing the Bhogapuram International Airport six months ahead of schedule. He said the state is working on an Aerospace and Defence City near Lepakshi and plans seaplane services between Prakasam Barrage, Srisailam and Hussain Sagar in Hyderabad. The minister called for investment in aircraft component manufacturing, MRO, drones and air taxis.