AVI-PRABHU-SAFETY

Civil Aviation Minister Suresh

Prabhu said Saturday that the government is ensuring that all

domestic carriers are in "conformity" with the highest safety

standards, and the aviation regulator has been directed to

carry out their safety audits on a regular basis.

Prabhu's assertion came on a day when reports of a

Pratt & Whitney engine of an IndiGo A320 neo plane stopping

mid-air surfaced.

"As far as we are concerned, we are ensuring that all

Indian carrier must conform to the highest safety standards. I

have directed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to

conduct safety audit of not only all the airlines but also of

other organisations on a regular basis," Prabhu said at a

media briefing here about the 25th edition of the CII

Partnership Summit, to be held in the city from January 13.

An IndiGo Airbus A320neo plane suffered a mid-air

engine failure with a "loud bang" on January 3, forcing the

aviation ministry to take a serious note of the incident.

Prabhu said that two leading global aviation

organisations - Federation Aviation Administration of the USA

and International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) -- have

certified that India's safety apparatus has improved its

performance, adding, "the domestic air passenger demand is

growing at 20 per cent each month and we are seeing an

increased number of passengers (every month)."

He said the number of airports in country has gone up

to 101 from 67 five years ago.

"We have a target of having another 100 airports with

a USD 100 billion investment," he added.

Responding to a question on whether the government was

considering intervening by way of support to the domestic

airlines which are in the red due to high costs and the lack

of funds, Prabhu said in a deregulated sector like airlines it

is the responsibility of the company to manage its affairs.

India has recorded highest foreign direct investment,

more than China, in this year, which is a landmark, he said,

adding that the government is eyeing USD 100 billion FDI in

the next two years.

"And to achieve this, we are targeting specific

sectors as well as companies," he added.

Over 1,000 delegates from 40 countries are expected to

participate in the two-day mega business event, which is being

hosted for the first time in the state in association with the

Ministry of Commerce and the Maharashtra Government.

The theme for this year's summit is `New India: Rising

to Global Occasions'.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)