Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Airports for small towns – a great idea!' that was published in Newsband

Airports for small towns – a great idea!

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) wants to promote the development and use of smaller airports in the country. The AAI also plans to modernise some of the smaller, non-metro airports. In addition, the Authority intends to offer a three-year concession scheme for airlines willing to operate to a select lot of smaller airports.

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram has already backed the plan. The Civil Aviation Ministry has yet to clear the proposal. One should never hesitate to take short term risks for the development of strategically important infrastructures.

Aviation sector of India has great potential untapped due to financial constraints. These air routes which the AAI intends to come up with should be made financially viable to companies and affordable to common man.

Even as we welcome steps to build new, smaller airports, it would be over optimistic to assume that the towns with population of less than ten lakhs are in a position to offer scope for air travel. Generally air travel is profitable if entrepreneurs engaged in industry and business use it often. One indicator of business related air travel is the business activity in these towns. At present most of these towns are not having a significant number of business or industrial enterprises which employ over a 1000 people. Further, the software or the business outsourcing companies which would provide air travelers have still not made their presence felt in these towns. Thus, rapid economic development of towns is the key to air travel growth.

But on the whole, this is a good news we have received from the AAI. This move by the AAI will help the small towns to grow as well as to develop. It has also given concession to the airlines which is a good way to attract airlines to this plan.

It is a very promising act by AAI. As the smaller cities would get the fastest mode of transport this would really transform the small hubs of the country into an elite centers. Airport connectivity to any city is seen as a mark of prosperity.

This is a positive signal, in an attempt to mark our cities on global map. International standards should not be compromised on these fronts even if these airplanes will ferry traffic in small cities. Good idea, AAI!