Trade body ASSOCHAM has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take steps to provide them the facility of digital payment and eliminate the need for cash while flying.
In letters addressed to Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju and the Communication Minister Manoj Sinha, the ASSOCHAM on Wednesday requested satelite-based “In Flight Connectivity” in domestic and foreign aircraft flying over Indian airspace .
A large number of airlines and countries, including Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, have permitted IFC in planes overflying their territory. However, India is yet to take any decision. “As a result, each time an aircraft equipped with IFC enters Indian airspace, it is forced to switch off the service to the passengers till it passes the Indian skies, causing hardship to passengers”, ASSOCHAM secretary general D S Rawat said.
“IFC promises to substantially improve safety of airlines as it enables flight tracking in respect of aircraft in near real time reporting latitude, longitude, altitude, true heading and ground speed; streaming of flight data recorder off the aircraft in real time, and facilitating real time intervention for safety and security based on flight data monitoring,” the chamber said.
Besides increased safety, inflight connectivity would enable passengers to stay connected and make use of several services. “Aviation is facing a technological revolution. As aircraft becomes smart, fully connected machines, new services can be introduced to benefit the passenger experience, grow revenue for operators and improve safety. All this relies on stable and safe connectivity—from the cabin to the cockpit. IFC can in fact cover both cabin service provision to the passengers and cockpit safety and security services, such as flight tracking”, the letter said.
They also pointed out that customer surveys clearly bring out that passengers expect to stay connected via their smart devices and laptops even while flying. Many choose the airline based on the availability of broadband in the flight.
By the end 2015, 72 airlines had installed or announced plans to install passenger connectivity systems on board and the number of connected commercial aircraft has been increasing rapidly, thanks to the satellite high speed internet. ASSOCHAM was of the view that IFC is imperative for businessmen and others to stay connected as a flight on Indian territory takes an average of two hours of journey.
