Washington, December 09: Despite the global economic downturn, India’s aviation sector in particular continues to grow, a top Obama Administration official on Tuesday said as the US-India Aviation Partnership Summit started here.
Top officials from the two countries along with leaders from the private sector in the aviation sector – about 200 in all — are participating in the two-day summit being held in Washington to promote advanced technical approached and collaborations in India’s rapidly growing aviation market.
The event encourages a high-level dialogue on key issues related to air traffic management and control, aviation security and airspace utilisation throughout India.
Impressed by the growth of India’s aviation sector, the US Trade and Development Agency Director Leocadia I Zak said annual passenger and commercial flights
grew eight to 12 percent over the past several years; new international airports were inaugurated and there are plans for new domestic and regional airports, air cargo volumes increase and helicopter operations grew.
“Perhaps one of the best examples of economic cooperation and also people to people cooperation is the US-India Aviation Cooperation Program that was launched at the First Summit in 2007,” Zak said.
Consisting of Indian and US Government officials, including USTDA and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as well as 29 private sector representatives, the ACP provides a forum for dialogue and a mechanism by which the members can highlight specific areas of bilateral technical cooperation, including training programs, Zak said.
India’s Aviation Secretary, Madhavan Nambiar, and Director of the Federal Aviation Administration, Randy Babbitt, also spoke on the occasion.
–PTI