India has the opportunity to be an Aviation Hub in Future

Ms. Vandana Aggarwal, Sr. Economic Adviser, MOCA while moderating the technical session on New Business Profit Models and Sustainability Initiatives for Future deliberated about Aircraft Leasing being an important part of the aviation and air cargo industry. She opined that we need to have regulations in place to ensure seamless working of this important sector. She also deliberated on the growth blue print for the MRO & OEM industry and mentioned that we need to have our own systems and be less dependent on other countries at the 7th edition of PHD Global Aviation & Air Cargo Summit themed Aviation -Air Cargo Industry’s New Growth Blueprint & Business Resurgence Parameters organized by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Rules on Drones are in process and many new players will get involved which will benefit the industry, along with increasing of the green zones as mentioned by Mr. Amber Dubey, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation in his deliberations during the technical session on “Allied Industries Growth Blueprint” focused on Drones & Skilling. Mr. Amber Dubey also shared that skilling is a major focus area for the industry with many new courses on the anvil.

 Mr. Salil Gupte, President, Boeing India while discussing the process of leasing mentioned that the Ministry of Civil Aviation along with the Ministry of Finance has taken action to make India quite competitive so that players within India can participate in the aircraft leasing market. He mentioned that many small players can become large players and create an eco-system that is attractive to everyone in the leasing market. We believe that the reforms have put India in that position that it can take advantage of being an attraction point. 

 He also mentioned that after COVID-19, there is significant passenger preference towards long haul flights and India has the advantage due to its geographical location and this can be a business model on which Indian airlines can work.  

Mr. Alok Anand, Chairman and CEO, Acumen Aviation mentioned Aircraft operating lease has been actioned as an item in the IFSC GIFT City. He also mentioned that we need to work on finance leasing and we are working on the same. While we are inviting investments from various parts of the world, we need to think about global partnerships. We need to invest in training and skill development so that India builds its talent pool. 

Mr. Dipesh Shah, Head (Development), International Financial Services Centres Authority, GIFT City, Gujrat mentioned that India has huge demand and aircraft leasing can be an opportunity for India as it can replace many services which are coming into India. We should take a closer look at the talent available in India which is enormous. We are going in the right direction to bring businesses that can be done efficiently and in a cost-effective manner. 

Mr. Vipul Singh, CEO & Co-Founder, Aarav Unmanned Systems (AUS) while moderating the technical session on Allied Industries Growth Blueprint mentioned that while this year has been the year for the pandemic, it has been the year of drones as well. There is a complete paradigm shift in the buying and usage of drones in India and they are being used for diverse sectors and purposes. With many changes happening, there is a need for upskilling the manpower in the aviation sector. 

Mr. Ankit Mehta, Co-Founder & CEO, ideaForge Technology mentioned that India has a different climate and geographical conditions so we need to qualify our products for all these varied environments. Talking about global relevance, he mentioned that we all have to build interfacing standards so that we integrated over a larger period. We need to have an investment system for reaching the international markets. 

 The session was moderated by Ms. Bhavna Singh Joint Secretary, PHD Chamber, and was attended by many industry stalwarts. The summit has been supported by GMR, AAI Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Company Limited, Boeing, CELEBI, Continental Carriers Group, Kale Logistics, and Logistics Skill Council, media partner- Logistics Insider, Cargo Connect, and Travel Unleash.