Scindia reviews capital expenditure target of all airport operators

New Delhi: Union Aviation Minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia held an Advisory Group Meeting with airport operators and assured them of implementing all possible measures to facilitate a smooth and time-saving travel experience for passengers.

In the meeting on Tuesday, with the upcoming holiday season in mind, the Minister emphasised on the importance of preventing congestion at airports.

In the meeting, Scindia took note of queries and suggestions from operators and guided them to ensure optimal operations for the convenience of passengers.

“An important topic of the discussion was the promotion of 'DigiYatra' to enhance the conversion rate from manual to digital check-ins and entry gate processes, ensuring hassle-free and swift passenger movement,” said an official.

Currently, the facility is available for domestic passengers the airports in Lucknow, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Jaipur, Guwahati, Delhi, Bengaluru, Varanasi, Vijayawada, Pune, Hyderabad and Kolkata.

During the discussions, the suggestion of integrating ‘DigiYatra’ for international passenger access at both departure and arrival was also put forward.

“To explore best practices, the airport operators were also tasked with presenting biometric enabled models being successfully used in other countries,” said the official.

The Minister further reviewed the capital expenditure target of all airport operators, aligning it with the actuals obtained in the third quarter.

The meeting was attended by all airport operators including GMR Airports, Adani Airports, BIAL, Cochin Airport and the Airports Authority of India.

Secretary Civil Aviation Vumlunmang Vualnam, DG BCAS, Zulfiqar Hasan, DG DGCA Vikram Devdutt and other Joint Secretaries and senior officials of the Ministry were also in attendance.

In another development, Scindia also chaired the Cargo Advisory Committee meeting on Tuesday.

“During the session, the committee deliberated on the need to enhance collaboration within the cargo industry,” said the ministry official.

Scindia assured the members that the government will continue to adopt a proactive approach in responding to the concerns of the cargo industry and work towards fostering collaborative efforts among stakeholders.

He also emphasised on the importance of having synergy between the ministry and other players of the industry to work closely to deliver as per the needs of the industry.

One of the key issues discussed was the need for a digital transformation in air cargo, encompassing E-KYC and digital shipping invoices.

The Minister requested the committee to prepare a detailed action plan in order to explore and implement digital transformations in the industry.

The committee also addressed various taxation and operational challenges brought forward by industry representatives, reflecting the Ministry's commitment to a responsive and supportive regulatory environment.

This meeting reinforced the Ministry's dedication to fostering a vibrant and efficient cargo ecosystem, ensuring that the aviation sector continues to contribute significantly to the nation's economic growth.