The Government has and will continue to undertake hi-tech measures for improvement in civil aviation sector in the country, some of which are as follows:
- The policy on Digi Yatra has been released by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in August 2018. This initiative aims to provide a contactless, seamless and paperless handling of passengers at airports from the entry gate of the terminal to the boarding point. Work has been awarded for implementation of Biometric Boarding System (BBS) by using facial recognition technology at six airports namely – Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, Varanasi and Vijayawada. The project is at the trial stage. Upon successful completion, the same will be implemented across other airports in the country in a phased manner.;
- Airports Authority of India (AAI) plans to invest around Rs. 25,000 crores in next 4-5 years for expansion/ development of existing and new terminals, using modern technology.
- Modernisation of air navigation infrastructure has been taken up.
- Route rationalization in the Indian airspace is being carried out in coordination with Indian Air Force, using modern air traffic flow management techniques to develop shorter flight routes and lower fuel consumption by airlines.
- Greater use of digital technology is being encouraged at air cargo terminals to enhance efficiency and to reduce dwell times.
- E-Governance is being enabled at Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) for most of their stakeholder interactions and internal processes.;;
- Online ‘examination on demand’ is being planned by DGCA for flying cadets to enhance the number of licenced pilots in the country.
This information was given in a written reply by General (Retd.) Dr.V.K. Singh, Minister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, in Lok Sabha today.
RKJ/M