The Hindu Business Line : India-EU aviation summit begins today

The European Union-India Aviation summit, which has been jointly organised by the European Commission and the Ministry of Civil Aviation, opens here on Wednesday.

"The two-day summit is the follow-up of the previous meeting and the recent India-EU summit that was held in Helsinki and attended by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. We feel that in the area of aviation there are many different sub-heads in which India and the EU can cooperate," said the Minister for Civil Aviation, Mr Praful Patel.

Main issues

The main issues to be addressed during the summit include trends in both passenger and cargo markets and political regulatory developments in India and the EU.

Besides, the issue of greater emphasis on market opening and consumer benefits that are bound to arise from better and diversified services will also be looked into.

In addition, the need for having better infrastructure and the opportunities for investment in both markets in fields such as airports and air traffic control and the scope for further co-operation in aviation safety and security will be discussed during the summit.

"In the long run it would be to the advantage of both India and the EU if we work together and in close cooperation in various fields connected with the aviation sector. As with the US, with whom, we recently concluded an aviation agreement, India and the EU can also work together in fields of aviation safety, regulatory framework and negotiations of bilateral traffic rights," Mr Patel said.