Aviation Sector Takes Off In 2022 After Covid Turbulence

Fulfilling the aspirations of the common man, 50 new regional connectivity scheme (RCS) routes commenced in this year while 140 new RCS routes awarded under UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) initiative.

As the current year 2022 is coming to close, DGCA has issued 1,081 Commercial Pilot Licenses, the highest number of CPL in the last decade.

DGCA has processed 16, 401 number of flight crew licensing issues and renewal applications till date through the single window digital platform of eGCA during 2022 so far.

The year 2022 also saw more than 22,500 Indian nationals safely rescued from Ukraine by operating 90 evacuation flights under Operation Ganga and India was re-elected to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council (2022-2025).

Strategic disinvestment of Air India completed in 2022, another milestone in the civil aviation history.

Digi Yatra was launched in 2022 to provide seamless and hassle-free experience to passengers at airports without the need for verification of ticket and ID at multiple touch points.

Digi Yatra has been launched at Delhi, Bengaluru and Varanasi Airports. The implementation at Kolkata, Pune, Vijayawada, and Hyderabad Airports is planned by March 2023. It is to be implemented across all the airports in a phased manner.

Drone Certification Scheme, Drone Import policy and Drone (Amendment) Rules, 2022 were notified.

Five more airports added to Krishi Udan 2.0 initiative taking total airports under the scheme to 58.

As far as international operation is concerned, India operates a wide ranging network of international flights and currently has Air Services Agreements with 116 countries.

In terms of consistent efforts, India presently provides direct connectivity to more than 40 countries, whereas, connecting more than 100 countries through indirect routes.

Since 2014, India has signed Memorandum of Understanding with more than 55 countries, wherein, in the year 2022 itself, India has revised MoUs with Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, DR of Congo, Sudan and Germany.

In addition to regular grant of permissions for charter operations from different countries, India has permitted carriage of passengers and cargo through non-scheduled charter operations from Afghanistan on humanitarian grounds. 

DGCA granted approval for operating new Flying Training Organisation namely M/s Skynex Aero Pvt. Ltd. At Jalgaon Airport, Maharashtra in January 2022.

DGCA has also issued new Aerodrome License at Deoghar, Hollongi, Jeypore and New Goa during 2022 so far.

As a part of restructuring of DGCA, a total number of 416 new posts of Group A officers have been created in DGCA Headquarter and in Regional and Sub-regional Offices.

DGCA would now have seven Regional offices and Sub-Regional offices, including Regional Offices at Hyderabad and Ahmedabad and Sub-Regional offices at Agartala, Nagpur, Amritsar, Dehradun and Jaipur.

This would help in increasing the DGCA footprints across the country thereby strengthening the regulatory functions of DGCA with minimal physical movement.

Haj 2022 operations commenced from 4 June 2022 and completed on 13 August 2022 smoothly and successfully. Three airlines - Saudi Arabian Airlines, Spicejet and Flynas carried 56,634 pilgrims from 10 embarkation points across India to Jeddah/Madinah and back.

Government of India has so far accorded 'in-principle' approval for setting up of 21 Greenfield Airports across the country namely:

• Mopa in Goa, Navi Mumbai,

Out of these, nine Greenfield airports - Durgapur, Shirdi, Kannur, Pakyong, Kalaburagi, Orvakal (Kurnool), Sindhudurg, Kushinagar and Donyi Polo, Itanagar have been operationalised.

Further one more greenfield airport - Manohar international airport-Mopa Goa has been inaugurated on 11 December 2022 and ready for operationalisation.