Safety of passengers should be at the centre of airline activity: Vice President

The Vice President of India,M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that safety of passengers should be paramount for any transportation service and asked aviation industry to place passengers’ convenience at the centre of all activities. He was addressing the gathering after releasing the Economic Impact Report and Coffee Table Book encapsulating the growth story of Indian Aviation marking completion of 12 years of operations of GMR Group at Delhi Airport, here today.

The Vice President appreciated Airport authorities and GMR employees for maintaining global standards at Delhi Airport. “Delhi Airport is pride of our nation”, he added.

The Vice President said that governments, policy makers and business enterprises must ensure hassle free environment at Airports for commuters. He further said that Government’s efforts to improve domestic air connectivity and make it affordable would get a boost if quality infrastructure is built and efficient customer services are provided by airliners. Public Private Partnership is the most suitable mode of developing such infrastructure and it is the best model to provide quality services at an affordable price as it allows competition among different entities, he added.

The Vice President said that connectivity is the key for economic growth and added that aviation industry has huge scope for development. He said that the growth of the aviation sector will have a multiplier effect on the Indian economy as it would positively impact hospitality and tourism sectors, among others.

The Vice President said that effective implementation of UDAN scheme would develop regional connectivity and promote economically viable flights on regional routes. He asked Airport authorities and PPP operators to focus on making it accessible and affordable to the common man.

The Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Shri Jayant Sinha, the Lt. Governor of Delhi, Shri Anil Baijal, the Chairman of GMR Group, Shri Grandhi Mallikarjuna Rao and several members of aviation and airline industry were present on the occasion.

Following is the text of Vice President’s address:

“It is my privilege to be with you this afternoon and to have just released two important books, which encapsulate the growth story of Indian Aviation.

At the outset, my heartiest congratulations to Mr. G.M. Rao and his team for having successfully completed 12 years of operations at Delhi Airport which is India’s leading airport in t