NEWS | Indian Aviation Ministry appeals for easier currency policy for transit passengers

International air travellers transferring through Indian airports could soon be allowed to withdraw cash which they would be able to use at airport terminals. This is one of the suggestions put forward by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in a paper on ‘Developing aviation hubs in the country’. The suggestion has been made as the country looks to develop airports to attract more passengers, thereby generating more income and employment from the sector. It called for a change in the existing currency policy, which also restricts the amount of Indian currency domestic and international passengers can carry beyond the immigration point, reported The Hindu Business Line. The suggestions have been sent to various stakeholders including airlines, airports and other government departments, and will have to be cleared by the Union Cabinet before they are implemented. The ministry said that the lack of such a policy was hurting the development of Indian airports as hubs for airlines. The ministry pointed out that the current currency policy is favourable for arriving passengers who terminate their journey here, but is a major hindrance for passengers transferring from hub airports and not terminating journeys at any international port of arrival in India. The paper states that the ratio of transferring passengers at any Indian airport ranges between two and eight per cent of the total traffic and is miniscule in comparison to other developed mature overseas international hub airports, where it ranges between 35 and 55 per cent. “The time spent by transferring passenger ranges from more than two hours and less than 24 hours, and these passengers are required to spend substantially on food and beverages and use other facilities in the transfer area, and

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