Visakhapatnam, November 12: 'Made in India' civilian aircraft will take to the skies within the next two years, Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu announced on Thursday, IANS reported.

Source: IANS

Addressing a special plenary session at the 31st CII Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam, Naidu said India's civil aviation sector stands as a model for the world, and a fully indigenously manufactured civil aircraft will be ready in two years. Sambad English carried the same announcement from the summit.

Source: Sambad English

Speaking on 'The Next Step for Indian Aviation: Connectivity, Capacity, Competitiveness', the minister said the country had 74 airports in 2014 and the number has now grown to 166, while the UDAN regional connectivity scheme has brought air travel within the reach of the common man and annual passenger numbers have reached 25 crore, according to IANS.

He said that under the second phase of UDAN, another 100 airports and 200 modern heliports will be built in the country by 2036, and that Digi Yatra has cut airport entry time from 90 seconds to 20 seconds.

Naidu praised Andhra Pradesh's progress in civil aviation, said the Bhogapuram International Airport was completed six months ahead of schedule, and noted plans for an Aerospace and Defence City near Lepakshi in Anantapur district and seaplane services between Prakasam Barrage, Srisailam and Hussain Sagar in Hyderabad.

Calling on industry and young entrepreneurs to invest in aircraft component manufacturing, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), drones and air taxis, the minister said this is the right time to enter India's aviation supply chain. Other reports of the address said India's ambition extends beyond manufacturing to indigenous aircraft design, in a push to cut dependence on foreign aircraft makers.