"I am delighted to be here this morning in this beautiful gateway to the city of Thiruvananthapuram and the State of Kerala. I compliment the Airports Authority of India for the commitment with which they have been building such impressive infrastructure in our airports.

 

At one time, the aviation sector was looked upon as being relevant only for the affluent sections of our population. But in recent years the thinking has changed and it is well recognized that this sector is vital for the development of our trade, industry and tourism, which in turn create employment opportunities for all sections of our people. With the growth of low cost air travel, the airlines are now giving strong competition to the railways and many passengers who earlier used to travel only by trains today frequently use air flights.

 

The government fully understands the importance of the civil aviation sector to the Indian economy particularly as it gets more and more integrated into the global economy. We have formulated various policies to give a boost to this important sector of our economy.

 

Our policy on airport infrastructure aims to increase airport capacity to stay ahead of demand and to garner the maximum share of traffic in the region. We wish to make our airport facilities user friendly and achieve high levels of customer satisfaction. We also seek to ensure the safety and security of airport operations and develop multi-modal transport linkages.

 

The Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Airports Authority of India have commenced the development and modernization of existing airports on a mission mode to create world class air infrastructure in our country. The roadmap already laid down in this regard is being implemented at a fast pace. Airports at Delhi and Mumbai have been restructured and are being modernized through joint ventures under the new concept of private-public partnership model. Two new green field airports at Hyderabad and Bangalore have been developed and have become operational through the joint venture route.

 

Air transport in India has witnessed unprecedented growth in the recent past. During the last 7 years, domestic air traffic has tripled and international traffic more than doubled. An exponential growth in passenger traffic is expected in this decade as well.

 

Creation of modern and efficient infrastructure at the airports to handle passenger volumes of this magnitude requires huge investment. This creates significant opportunities and challenges. I am told the projected growth of India's aviation sector has a potential to absorb investment of over US$120 billion with attendant job creation for lakhs of workers directly and indirectly.

 

It is noteworthy that the entire investment of the New International Terminal Building at Thiruvananthapuram airport at a cost of Rs. 289 crores is being met through internal resources of the Airports Authority of India.

 

Yesterday, I was at Vallarpadam to inaugurate the first phase of India's first International Container Transshipment Terminal. With the new container terminal at Vallarpadam and this airport terminal here, we hope to give transport infrastructure and connectivity a big thrust in the State of Kerala.

 

These projects show the commitment of the Government of India to develop Kerala as a major transport hub in the region. We wish to make full use of Kerala's locational advantages, excellent tourism potential and the talent and enterprise of its people.

 

I am truly happy that these improved facilities will benefit lakhs of workers from Kerala who are serving overseas, notably in West Asia. This is the least we can do and it is just a small token of our appreciation for the hard work being put in by our dedicated workers who are supporting their families back home and sending significant remittances which contribute handsomely to the economy of Kerala and also help India's balance of payment.

 

Shri Vayalar Ravi has worked very hard for the overseas Indian community as the Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs. I am sure that he will work with equal zeal and determination to change the skyline of the aviation sector in Kerala and the country with his additional responsibility as the Minister of Civil Aviation.

 

It gives me great pleasure to inaugurate this new modern International Terminal building of the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport."