NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen led a panel at a U.S.-India Aviation Summit on Thursday in Washington, D.C., that highlighted the challenges and budding successes that mark the development of business aviation in growing economies such as India’s. “Aviation is an important engine in our nation’s economy,” he said, noting that business aviation is a “critical component” in the overall aviation ecosystem.

Bolen noted that business aviation is a growing international industry whose benefits are becoming increasingly evident in all parts of the world because “we are living in a global marketplace where connectivity of all types is important. Business gets done when people connect to people, and that’s what business aviation does well.”

Bolen’s views were echoed by a panel of industry experts who not only described the central role business aviation can continue to play in India’s economy, but also underscored the policy and regulatory challenges that have constrained aviation growth with burdensome tax policies, lack of access and the need for improved education and training in aviation.

India Business Aircraft Operators Association vice president Karan Singh suggested, “We could learn from our partners here in the U.S., and at the international level, more about how to develop and operate” a modern, integrated air transportation system that can “help our businesses grow and succeed globally.”