India Flying High

For decades, air travel in India was meant for the rich and the privileged few. The state-owned airline Air India with its Maharaja’ mascot symbolized this attitude. Now in just ten years of competition the tables have turned and private airlines account for more than 60 per cent of the domestic aviation market.

To cope with the increased air traffic, airports are being spruced up and new airports are being commissioned. Work has begun at airports at Mumbai and Delhi for giving them a facelift. However, the agenda goes much beyond cosmetic stuff.

India’s aviation story has just begun. Despite the recent scorching growth rates of the segment, it is still at an infant stage. Only about 50,000 people travel by air each day in India, compared with about 15 million who take the train. And the number of domestic commercial flights remains minuscule by the standards of the industrialized world • just 600 or so each day compared with more than 20,000 in the United States, which has bout a fourth of India's population. Yet the massive growth in the last three years clearly shows that Indians, if given a chance, and if the price is right, would love to fly.

Revolutionized by liberalization, the aviation sector in India has been marked by fast-paced change in the past few years. From being a service that few could afford, the sector has now graduated to being a fiercely competitive industry with the presence of a number of private and public airlines and several consumer-oriented offerings.

Untapped potential of India's Tourism:

Currently India attracts 3.2 million tourists every year, while China gets 10 times the number.

Tourist arrivals in India are expected to grow exponentially, especially due to the open sky policy between India and the SAARC countries and the increase in bilateral entitlements with European countries, and the US. The increase in number of international tourists will percolate down to increase in domestic passengers.

Aircraft manufacturer Airbus said, “India is one of the world’s most promising markets and it is predicted that 100 million new urban middle-class consumers will become potential air travelers by 2010.”

While the party is on, for the air traveler looking for bargains, airline promoters are advised to tighten their seat belts to avoid the shock from hard landing.