India's aviation sector is expanding rapidly and the overall fleet size is expected to almost double in the next five years, said Union aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
Speaking at industry body Assocham's CEOs roundtable on Tuesday, Mr Scindia said, "In five years, we are looking at 1,200 fleet size in the country which will be almost double of the current number of 700 aircraft".
Mr Scindia said he was confident that the Indian aviation sector is going to touch 400 million passengers annually in 7-10 years from the current 200 million.
Further, the minister stressed on India becoming an international hub for which the sector needs to add wide-body aircraft in our skies.
"We need wide-body aircraft in the country to become an international hub, that is why the ministry of civil aviation is working seriously on it and we have engaged with the professionals to make India an international hub in aviation," Mr Scindia said.
Growth in the aviation sector in terms of CAGR is 10 per cent annually, he added.
On the question of recruitment of air traffic controllers (ATCOs) which are now low in strength, Mr Scindia said that "we will recruit more than 300 ATCOs by the end of this year".
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Telecom Connectivity In All Villages In Next 12 Months: Jyotiraditya Scindia Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia Holds Brainstorming Session With Leading Industrialists To Chart Telecom Growth Map Voices Of 80 Crore Stifled To Save Chair Of A Few During Emergency: Jyotiraditya Scindia 9 Dead, 2,800 Hurt As Pagers Explode Across Lebanon, Hezbollah Blames Israel "Wear Proper Undergarments": Delta Airlines' New Memo For Flight Attendants IndiGo Flight Tailstrike Leaves Huge Dent During Take-Off From Delhi Airport Israel Planted Explosives In Hezbollah's Taiwan-Made Pagers: Report "Not Aware, Not Involved": US On Lebanon Pager Blasts New Security Arrangements Needed If...: Head Of Secret Service To Trump Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.