A NEW OPPORTUNITY

Govt. Releases Draft NASP

    Ministry of Civil Aviation issued a draft National Air Sports Policy (NASP)  to leverage India's potential for air sports and places a strong focus on ensuring International best practices in safety. The vision of the policy is to make India one of the top air sports nations by 2030.

    The policy proposes a two-tier governance structure for air sports in the country, which will include an apex governing body called the Air Sports Federation of India (ASFI) and association for each air sport. It will cover activities like aerobatics, aeromodelling, amateur-built and experimental aircraft, ballooning, drones, gliding, hand gliding, paragliding, microlighting, paramotoring, skydiving and vintage aircraft.

    The AFSI will be an autonomous body under the ministry of civil aviation and will represent India at the Lausanne-headquartered Fédération Aéronautique Internationale ( FAI) and other global platforms related to air sports. It will provide governance over various aspects of air sports, including regulation, competitions, certifications, awards and penalties etc.

    India has the potential to be among the leading nations in the world of air sports. It has a large geographical expanse, divers topography and fair weather conditions. It has a large populations, especially the youth. It has a growing culture for adventure sports and aviation. Other than the direct revenue from air sports activities, the multiplier benefits in terms of growth of travel, tourism, infrastructure and local employment, especially in hilly areas of the country, are several times greater. Creation of air sports hubs across the country will also be bring in air sports professionals and tourists from across the world. This will enable Indian air sports enthusiasts to learn from the experience of the visiting professionals, get exposed to global best practices and create opportunities to host global competitions in India.

    The draft NASP is a step in this direction and has been drafted on the basis of the inputs received from policymakers, air sports practioners and the public at large. A growth-oriented NASP may help attract investments in latest aerosports technology, infrastructure and best practices. It is in evolving document and will be modified from time to time.