New Delhi, Mar 29 (KNN) Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday said that the Indian drone market will become a Rs 3 lakh crore market by 2030, employing 3-4 lakh persons.

Addressing CII’s International conference on Advanced and Short-Haul Air Mobility for All (ASHA): Technologies for Ease of Transport, the aviation minister highlighted the need to have a strong civil aviation infrastructure for the advanced air mobility sector to grow.

“For the strong infrastructure to be built in the country, urban city planners need to be involved,” he said.

The Union Minister pointed out that in the period of change and dynamic flux, the civil aviation sector is making unimaginable strides as never before.

Speaking on the occasion, Salil Gupte, president, Boeing India and chairman, CII National Committee, said that advanced air mobility can do to India’s transport what telephony did to its communications.

“In telecom India skipped stages where the rest of the world was stuck. We have seen India leapfrog from landline to mobile to 4G to 5G roll-outs at lightning speed. India can do the same in transport if it chooses to embrace the AAM (Advanced Air Mobility) technologies and create the right ecosystem for it” he said.

AAM comprises drones, helicopters, e-VTOL (electric, vertical take-off and landing systems) and other air-systems used for ferrying people and goods over short distances.

“The take-off of AAM will need a robust ecosystem that includes vehicles, training and education, research and development, landing structure, fleet-management, demand management, linkages with other mobility system,” said Kamal Bali, President and MD Volvo Group in India, and chairman, CII Southern Region.  (KNN Bureau)