- Thursday, April 25, 2024
By: ANI
THE Indian ministry of civil aviation on Tuesday (7) announced the country’s first National Aero Sports Policy (NSAP, 2022) with an aim to see India as one of the top aerial sporting nations by 2030.
The NSAP, as of now will cover air sports like aerobatics, aeromodelling, and model rocketry, amateur-built and experimental aircraft, ballooning, drones, gliding and powered gliding, hand gliding and powered hang gliding, parachuting (including skydiving, BASE jumping and wingsuits), paragliding and paramotoring (including powered parachute trikes), powered aircraft and rotorcraft. “India’s youth represent the future of Hawaiian sports. Programmes will be encouraged with the aim of increasing interest in aerial sports. Schools, colleges and universities will be encouraged to include aerial sports in the curriculum,” said India’s civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
He further said, “Speaking on the future of Air Sports in India, he said “From a small market size of around 5,000 odd air sports practitioners creating around Rs 80-100 crore of annual revenue in India, I feel we can target over Rs 8,000 – 10,000 crore annual revenue and generate over 1,00,000 direct jobs. The economic multiplier benefits in terms of travel, tourism, support services and local infrastructure development will be over three times.”
Pointing to World Air Sports and India’s participation, Scindia during the announcement of NASP 2022 highlighted, “This is not just an announcement of National Air Sports Policy but we are aiming to host world air sports in future.”
Focusing on air safety, the policy states that not later than 48 hours after the accident involving air sports activity, the person involved or the person concerned shall, along with a copy, report the accident in writing to the Air Sports Association concerned. will report. to AFSI.
“Inability to enforce adequate safety standards by an air sports association may lead to penal action by the ASFI against such association including financial penalties, suspension or dismissal,” the policy read.
The Air Sports Federation of India (AFSI) will be the apex governing body, Scindia said. ‘AFSI will publish its draft guidelines within six months of the date of publication of NSA 2022, after consulting with stakeholders. This federation will be chaired by Rajiv Bansal, secretary, civil aviation ministry,’ the policy read.
The National air sports associations will be accountable to AFSI for ensuring the safe, affordable, accessible, and sustainable conduct of their respective air sports.
