Bhatia calls for policy change in Indian aviation
Contributors are not employed, compensated or governed by TD, opinions and statements are from the contributor directly
Executive Director of the Bird Group and Managing Director of Amadeus India, Ankur Bhatia, has publicly called for liberalisation of foreign direct investment in Indian aviation.
In a memorandum on the eve of the Union Budget, to be presented in Parliament soon, Bhatia said; “India allows 100% of foreign direct investment in almost all mass rapid transport systems, ports and harbours, inland water and ocean transport, and toll roads.
However, in contrast to this, the foreign ownership in airlines is restricted to 49% and zero investment in India carriers.”
This restriction, he went on to add, limits the resources and could lead to an investment gap. Therefore, the government should look at liberalisation of FDI in aviation.
He also called for lower taxes and cheaper aviation fuel prices. Bhatia said that infrastructure should be improved and that all stakeholders in the private and government sectors take steps to change the landscape so that the potential of tourism and hospitality growth is realised.
Comments are closed.