Minister highlights potential of sea planes
Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu has highlighted the strategic importance of strengthening India’s aviation ecosystem including the vast potential of sea planes in boosting regional connectivity and opening up new opportunities for tourism, commerce, and last-mile connectivity http://civilaviation.gov.in.
Pointing out India’s transformation into the third-largest domestic aviation market, he called for expansion of airports, growth of regional carriers, focus on aviation skilling and efforts to incentivise MRO sector as key pillars of progress.
He emphasized the need for deepening Centre-State-Industry collaboration for the accelerated growth of the Civil Aviation sector in the Eastern Region https://www.bseindia.com/.
“With its industrial might, strong tourism base, coastal access, and aspirational Tier-II cities, Eastern Region has a variety of connectivity needs and holds great potential to be a key driver in India’s journey to become a global aviation powerhouse,” the Minister told the Eastern Region Ministers’ Conference on Civil Aviation 2025, which was organised by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in collaboration with the Govt of Odisha at Bhubaneswar on 25 Aug https://www.nseindia.com/.
Addressing key stakeholders, the Minister underscored the vital role of Flight Training Organizations (FTOs) in building a robust pipeline of skilled professionals to meet the growing demand of the aviation sector.
He emphasized that enhancing aviation-related skill sets is crucial not only for operational excellence but also for supporting the expansion of India’s aviation manufacturing industry http://commerce.gov.in.
The Minister further reiterated the Government’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for innovation, investment, and skill development, ensuring that India remains at the forefront of global aviation growth.
Murlidhar Mohol, Minister of State in the Civil Aviation Ministry, also outlined the vision behind the regional conferences and emphasized the Ministry’s commitment to building a future-ready, inclusive aviation ecosystem
He highlighted the growth of aviation infrastructure in the last 11 years from 74 to 162 airports as well as latest developments in the eastern region such as the inauguration of the new terminal building at Patna airport, the foundation of the new civil enclave at Bihta, the soon-to-be-operational Purnia airport and the in-principle approval for a greenfield airport at Puri.
Murlidhar Mohol also shared that under the UDAN scheme, as many as 12 RCS-UDAN airports have been operationalized and 115 UDAN routes made functional in the eastern region alone https://sbi.com.in/.
The conference was attended by Mohan Charan Majhi, Chief Minister of Odisha, and Bibhuti Bhushan Jena, Minister of Commerce and Transport, Government of Odisha and Om Prakash Choudhary, Minister of Finance, Commercial Tax (Except Excise), Housing & Environment, Planning, and Economics & Statistics, Government of Chhattisgarh.
Over 100 industry stakeholders, including airline operators, OEMs, FTOs, MROs, cargo players, and drone companies, participated in the event, highlighting the importance of public–private collaboration in driving regional aviation development. FICCI provided the vital industry interface for organising the Regional Conference http://conexpo-con/agg.
Mohan Charan Majhi underlined Odisha’s commitment in advancing the civil aviation sector, and emphasized the importance of air connectivity for balanced regional growth, cargo logistics and industrial expansion across Odisha and the Eastern Region.
He reiterated the vision of the State Govt of Odisha for accelerating the growth and development of the aviation sector through active collaboration with the Aviation industry and leveraging full potential of the support from Ministry of Civil Aviation.
During the event, MoUs and Letters of Intent were exchanged including:
Establishment of an Anchor MRO Facility at Bhubaneswar Airport by Air Works India (Engineering) Pvt Ltd, one of the country’s leading third-party MRO service providers, in collaboration with the Commerce and Transport Department, Government of Odisha. The facility will cater to both domestic and international aircraft operators and is expected to generate significant skilled employment opportunities in Odisha and the wider Eastern Region.
Letter of Intent with Air India for collaboration with the Government of Odisha to launch a Cadet Pilot Program (CPP), with a special focus on empowering Odia tribal girls to pursue careers in aviation https://www.iata.org/.
Skill Development Training for Odia Youth, aligned with the establishment of the MRO facility. Under the Nua Odisha scheme, Air Works will conduct a six-month specialized training program in aircraft surface preparation, masking, sanding, and painting for up to 20 domicile candidates of Odisha.
There were one on one interactions by the Ministry with the participating States and UT where State/UT delegations engaged directly with the Union Minister and Ministry officials to discuss specific connectivity challenges, infrastructure proposals, and support requirements. Parallel sessions facilitated interactions between State Governments and key industry players, with a focus on investment facilitation and identifying implementation bottlenecks https://www.ibef.org/.
The event had participation of senior officials from Odisha, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal and the UT Administration of Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Also, senior officials from Ministry including Samir Kumar Sinha, Secretary, Civil Aviation, Rajesh Nirwan, DG BCAS, Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, DG DGCA, and Vipin Kumar, Chairman, Airports Authority of India attended the Conference.
Adding further momentum to the Ministry’s forward-looking initiatives, attention was drawn to the upcoming flagship event — Wings India 2026, jointly organised by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Airports Authority of India and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).
The Wings India 2026 is scheduled to take place from 28 to 31 January 2026. The event will serve as a premier platform to showcase the growth and opportunities in the Indian civil aviation sector, bringing together key players from across the globe to foster partnerships, innovation, and policy dialogues.
The Eastern Region Ministers’ Conference on Civil Aviation thus marks an important milestone—ushering in a new era of regional collaboration, innovation, and growth with a focus on decentralised planning, investment mobilisation, and inclusive access to air travel. Fiinews.com