Passengers' safety should be central for all airlines: Naidu

New Delhi : Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday asserted that safety of passengers should be at the centre of all airline operations.

He said this while releasing the Economic Impact Report and a Coffee Table Book, encapsulating 12 years of operations of GMR Group at Delhi Airport, here today.

"The Economic Impact Study has also been a huge eye-opener. I am happy to note that the Delhi airport contributes to almost 0.7 per cent of the national GDP and almost 18 per cent of Delhi's GSDP.

"It is extremely heartening to note that this entity employs nearly 28 lakh employees both directly as well as indirectly," Naidu said addressing a gathering at the launch as per a statement issued by his office.

His comments came in the aftermath of the crashing of Indonesian Lion Air Boeing airliner, which was carrying 189 people and was flown by Indian pilot Bhavye Suneja. The plane crashed into the Java Sea on Monday minutes after taking off from Jakarta.

On the economic front, the Vice President cited the global airlines body International Air Transport Association (IATA), to claim that India will be the third largest aviation market around 2024, surpassing the UK.

"The present trends in air transport suggest passenger numbers could double to 8.2 billion in 2037 and this doubling of air passengers could support 100 million jobs globally," according to the IATA statement.

-- IANS
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