HERALD has a brief report on the first day's proceedings of the symposium on low cost carriers. Quoting the executive chairman of CAPA (the Sydney Australia based Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation) it says:
" There is still a large overhang of protectionism (in India) which is inhibiting expansion. For AI and the Indian economy, protectionism has been destructionism. Aviation infrastructure in the country is underdeveloped so much that even with liberalisation India will nt be able to fulfil its real aviation growth potential for several coming years". The need of the hour may be to draw a crucial distinction between bureaucratic protectionsm (in which there has been significant progress and where prospects of continued liberalisation are reasonably good) and military protectionism (of the Dabolim variety) on which no start has been made so far in a comprehensive wholistic way.