New Delhi (PTI): Major aircraft manufacturer in US Hawker Beechcraft on Thursday sought changes in India's import licence rules and demanded tax incentives on import of small and medium jets.

The company also said that India's import licence norms and "tax burden" act as deterrents to business.

Hawker Beechcraft, which opened a service centre here on Thursday, however, is planning to expand operations in India. "With India rapidly emerging as a leading business and financial capital of the world, there is a growing number of high net worth individuals who have a need for private jet travel. The tax burden on imported small and medium jets is proving disadvantage for them," Hawker Beechcraft Corp (HBC) CEO Jim Schuster told reporters.

Noting that high tax burden impedes the growth of a sector, he said higher levy affects the competitive environment needed to carry out business.

HBC's partner InterGlobe General Aviation CEO Nigel Harwood too stressed the need for a change in rules related to import licence.

He said, "there are avenues to ease the rule for granting import licence as they are as old as of colonial time."

HBC today inaugurated its first authorised service centre in collaboration with InterGlobe General Aviation -- a subsidiary of InterGlobe Enterprise -- here, that will cater to the needs of its aircrafts in India and in South Asia.

While inaugurating the service centre at the IGI Airport said, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said, "the demand for business jet will increase to 500 in next 10 years."

HBC, which has been operating in the country for the last 60 years, has 56 per cent market share of all turbine aircraft in India. "And now we have received the order for 20 jets from BJETS," Schuster said.