Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said on Sunday that India's civil aviation sector would be among the top five in the world in the next five years time. "In the last six years we have been successful in bringing a revolution in India's civil aviation sector,I don't mind saying that," Patel said after inaugurating the new domestic-cum-international terminal at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) Airport in Ahmedabad,which is likely to become operational from August 15. "In 2004-05 we were considering our civil aviation sector as big,but at world level it was not much recognised. But in the small span of six years,India's civil aviation sector is ranked ninth in the world," he said. "In the next five years India's civil aviation sector would be among the top five in the world," Patel said. There would be new challenges ahead and for that we need to provide all kind of infrastructure development and other service at the earliest,he added. Patel said that inauguration of the new terminal at Ahmedabad airport was a rare occasion. "It is a rare occasion when a minister lay foundation of building and inaugurates it too. Usually for civil infrastructure project it happens that foundation is laid by somebody and inauguration is done by somebody else," he said. Patel had laid the foundation of the building in 2007. The Aviation Minister also felt that there was need of more air services in Gujarat looking at the development in the state. "There should be increase of air service in Gujarat be it Ahmedabad,Surat,Rajkot,Vadodara,or Bhavnagar. Central civil aviation ministry would support all project for Gujarat and we assure you that there would be no discrimination," Patel said. He also requested Gujarat government to have a look at the viability gap funding (VGF) model that the Centre has adopted of North-Eastern state for intra-state connectivity. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi present on the occasion,said that he would adopt VGF model on Sunday itself if it was same as given to north-eastern states. "In the VGF model for north-eastern states,it is the central government which is funding the gap for airline connectivity. If this is given to Gujarat I would adopt it right now," Modi said,adding that VGF model needs to be studied further. The new terminal constructed on the model of Changi airport in Singapore,will be the first in the country that will interlink an international terminal with domestic through an underground corridor having six travelators. The eco friendly terminal constructed at a cost of Rs 316 crore has capacity to handle over 2,000 passengers and is equipped with software-enabled aerodrome operation control centre for optimum utilisation of resources like energy.
