To mark the first commercial flight operated between Allahabad and Naini on February 18, 1911, the civil aviation ministry today decided to hold nationwide programmes, competitions for students in all districts, an airshow, exhibitions and road shows.
A world-class aviation museum and a university are likely to come up this year when the country celebrates the centenary of civil aviation in India.
To mark the first commercial flight operated between Allahabad and Naini on February 18, 1911, the civil aviation ministry today decided to hold nationwide programmes, competitions for students in all districts, an airshow, exhibitions and road shows.
The year-long celebrations, aimed at taking the sector 'closer to the people', would project it as 'the sunrise sector which will create huge number of job opportunities nationwide', civil aviation minister Praful Patel told reporters after a meeting of a high-level committee set up to decide on the series of events.
Tipped to be one of the largest in the world, a national museum for aviation would be established in Delhi, probably at Safdarjung Airport, while a national university for aviation training and management would also be set up during the year, he said, adding, "We will also ask all universities to include courses connected with civil aviation in their curriculum."
Regarding the competition for students in all districts, Patel said 100 students from each district would be selected "through merit, and as an award, they will be given free tickets by the airlines."
He said not only Air India, but all the airlines would pool in to give these free tickets.
"The modalities of conducting these competitions will be worked out, the state governments and district administrations will be involved in the process."
The meeting also decided to hold a two-day conference and have functions where a commemorative stamp, a coin and coffee table book would be released, he said.
"India is now the ninth largest aviation market in the world. The growth in the sector between 2004 and 2010 has been over 300%, the highest in the world in six years, despite the economic downturn 2008-09", Patel said.
He claimed that by 2020, India would become the third largest aviation market in the world after the US and China.
The committee would meet in the next two-three weeks to finalise the locations where different events will take place, locate appropriate budgetary sources to finance the celebrations and its entire schedule.
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