Budget 2014: New airports to be developed in smaller cities and towns
Announcing the Union Budget 2014-15 on Thursday, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that air travel in the country will be notably improved through the development of new airports in smaller cities and towns. The government’s plans for better airport connectivity in regional areas are apparently rooted in the fact that though airport travel has increased in the country, it still remains a distant dream for many Indians.
Presenting the Budget in the Lok Sabha, Jaitley said that airports in smaller cities and town will be built by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) through the public-private partnership (PPP) process.
With non-metro airports in India currently accounting for just around 30 percent of the total air traffic, Jaitley said that the mentioned percentage will likely be increased to 45 percent over the next few years.
Jaitley also said that, in the coming two-decade period, India plans to develop 200 low-cost airports for connecting tier-II and tier-III cities.
Revealing that the government has also successfully increased regional connectivity by completing development work at 33 non-metro airports, the Finance Minister said that the government’s future plans with regard to airports include the construction of 15 additional airports under the greenfield airport policy by identifying the most appropriate low-cost viable model.
Source- The Times of India
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