Liberalizing Civil Aviation sector

As a Minister of Civil Aviation, Ananth initiated several programs, which have enhanced travel & tourism & helped India to achieve its rightful place in global aviation.
Both Indian Airlines & Air India, which had been ailing, were rejuvenated & have recorded a turnover, which was unprecedented in the near past.
Bangalore had a long – standing demand for an international airport. This was the cherished desire of many Bangaloreans. This was given shape when AnanthKumar signed an MOU for the Bangalore international airport way back in 1999 as soon as he became the civil aviation minister.
For meeting the growing aspirations of the IT capital of India, Bangalore craved for a decent airport to enhance its global image. Within 10 months of his becoming a minister, Ananth Kumar upgraded the Bangalore HAL airport, which has become much vibrant & travel friendly. He added a new international terminal, created aero bridges, and enhanced runways to the existing infrastructure. This ushered in the first direct flight to New York from Bangalore. This has been followed by flights to several other destinations.
Another desire of Bangalore population was that perishable goods did not have a separate terminal. This made exports of these goods difficult. The construction of the perishable cargo complex, which is first to be built outside Delhi boosted the Karnataka economy by over 300 crores.
India has over 154 airstrips in various locations spread across the country. It was a marathon task of visiting all these airports. AnanthKumar’s drive saw this being done in less than two months. This visit enabled the uplift of many of these airports in various directions. Either by extending runways or by creating night landing facilities or by adding new terminals, air travel has become more safe & pleasant. A partial list of these activities includes new terminals, runaways, upgrading of facilities.