Explained | The National Air Sports Policy 2022

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has launched an aero-sports policy to turn India into a one of the top destination for air sports by 2030. In a first, the policy sets up an oversight body will be set up for regulation, certification, accidents and penalties.

The story so far: On June 7, Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia unveiled a national sports policy to promote sports like aerobatics, hot-air ballooning, and paragliding, with the aim of making India one of the top aerosports nations by 2030.

As part of the policy, a four-tier structure will be established to govern aero sports, with the Air Sports Federation of India (ASFI) as the apex body. The ASFI will be an autonomous body under the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA).

Speaking at the launch of the National Air Sports Policy 2022 (NASP 2022), Mr. Scindia said the air sports ecosystem in India holds the potential to generate over 1 lakh direct jobs and generate annual revenue of Rs 10,000 crore. “From a small market size of around 5,000 odd air sports practitioners creating around Rs 80-100 crore of annual revenue in India, I feel we can target over Rs 8,000-10,000 crore annual revenue and generate over 1,00,000 direct jobs. The economic multiplier benefits in terms of travel, tourism, support services and local infrastructure development will be over three times,” the minister remarked.

The policy document defines air sports as sports activities involving the medium of air. Examples include air-racing, aerobatics, hang gliding, paragliding and skydiving. The following will be covered by the National Air Sports Policy 2022:

The list may be extended as and when required, according to the Ministry.

Though adventurists have been undertaking aerial sports for years across the country, there has been no formal framework in place to ensure their safety considering the higher levels of risk. Via the aero sports policy, the Centre states its intention to promote the sector by providing a “safe, affordable, accessible, enjoyable and sustainable air sports ecosystem”.

Besides economic benefits, the government is looking at tapping into the sector to boost tourism, travel, infrastructure and employment, especially in hilly areas.