India’s new policy on air sports

The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation recently released a new policy on air sports in India.

 National Air Sport Policy, 2022:

• The National Air Sport Policy (NASP), 2022, lists 11 games under this category.
  • These include aerobatics, aero modelling and rocketry, ballooning, amateur-built and experimental aircraft, drones, gliding and power gliding.
• The policy aims to “organise a previously unregulated sector” and could potentially generate annual revenue of Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 crore in the near future.
• The NASP, 2022, aims to create a structure that would help “promote the country’s air sports sector, by way of making it safe, affordable, accessible, enjoyable and sustainable.”
  • It includes safety mandates, penalties for violating those norms.
• Its vision is making India “one of the top air sports nations by 2030”.
• For the Air sports, there are four government structures formed under the Policy, which are named as follows:
  • Air Sports Federation of India (ASFI) is the apex governing body. It will preside over the national sports federations.
  • National associations for individual air sports or a set of air sports, as appropriate
  • Regional (e.g. West/ South/ North East etc.) or State and Union Territory level units of the national air sports associations, as appropriate; and
  • District-level air sports associations, as appropriate. It will preside over the national sports federations
• Globally, the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland is the governing body for air sports.
  • It sets standards, organises events and has over 100 members.
  • All competitions in India will be conducted as per the guidelines laid down by FAI.