Magazine : 
India Aims for 25% Women Participation in Aviation by 2025
Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu, announced India's target to increase women’s participation in the aviation sector to 25 percent by 2025, at the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Civil Aviation (APMC). The two-day conference, which concludes, reflects the shared vision of the Asia-Pacific region to strengthen and modernize the aviation sector.
Naidu emphasized the region's goal of accommodating 3.5 billion annual passengers by 2035, stressing the need for strategic investments in aviation infrastructure to support this growth. He highlighted India’s commitment to making flying more accessible through initiatives like the UDAN scheme, while also underscoring the importance of increasing gender diversity within the industry.
Focusing on the three pillars of aviation Infrastructure, Integration, and Innovation Naidu pointed to India's leadership in adopting modern technologies, such as Digi Yatra, a biometric-based digital platform for seamless travel experiences. He also discussed India's regulatory advancements in Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft, which he described as key to the future of sustainable urban air mobility.
Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Cooperation, Murlidhar Mohol, ICAO President Salvatore Sciacchitano, and Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Vumlunmang Vualnam, joined delegates from 29 countries at the event, hosted at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
Sciacchitano, addressing the gathering, highlighted the region's recovery from the pandemic, noting that the Asia-Pacific now accounts for 32 per cent of global air traffic. He applauded the region's potential for further growth and stressed the need for collaboration to ensure sustainable development.
In his remarks, Sciacchitano also emphasized ICAO's goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, pointing to India’s leadership in Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) initiatives as a crucial step in combating climate change. The conference's Delhi Declaration is expected to underline the aviation sector’s commitment to safety, sustainability, and innovation.
Ram Mohan Naidu was nominated as APMC chairman, with Fiji's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, Viliame Rogoibuli Gavoka, serving as Vice Chairman. The conference's discussions are set to play a key role in shaping the future of aviation across the Asia-Pacific region.
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