Indian aviation market can overtake China, but the tax system is complex; Director General Walsh also said these things

Director General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Willie Walsh, said, India is one of those civil aviation markets where there are incredible growth opportunities. Its growth rate is expected to overtake China. However, the tax system in India is very complex. This has been a feature of our industry for many years. Therefore, this is not a new issue.

Further, Walsh said India will have to pay attention to the issue of taxation to fully exploit its potential and turn this vision into reality. This does not mean that taxation has to be abolished. But there should be a clear understanding of how the taxation rules apply. Aviation companies sometimes get a new interpretation of the existing rule, which is completely different from before.

The IATA Director General said that, in such a situation, a claim is made for taxes that have not been paid. This leads to litigation and discussions for many years, which are finally resolved. In many cases, it goes in favor of the airline company. He further said, airline companies want efficient airport operations at an affordable cost. We want to make long-term investments in terms of airports, which is cheaper for the industry.

Earlier, regarding aircraft safety, Walsh said that in the last six years, final reports of less than half of the accident investigations have been published. Lack of information from accident reports is a loss of safety opportunities. Last year, seven fatal accidents occurred out of 40.6 million flights, and 244 people died out of 4.8 billion passengers. Walsh said that in the last 12 months, two civilian aircraft were shot down in conflict areas. Many airports with civilian aircraft were bombed in military operations. Incidents of interference in navigation systems near conflict areas increased rapidly.