India’s new policy on air sports

Context

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

About

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.