Air travel has gained momentum, but is it affordable for the common man?

The Indian air travel industry has been going through a state of euphoria since the two mega aircraft orders by Air India and IndiGo for close to 1000 aircraft between them, from Boeing and Airbus, were announced recently. There was renewed enthusiasm from deep-pocketed investors into the air transport sector after the entry of the TATA Group, Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, and the Adani's into the airline and airport business. A palpable sense of expectation of greater things from India's aviation sector is noticed by investors, politicians, and the public in general. Home to the world's largest population and very low air travel penetration, aviation surely is viewed as the next big sector on the horizon for India.

- Narender Kumar Baveja

The aviation industry in India has emerged as one of the fastest-growing industries in the country in recent years. While this is undoubtedly so, it, however, tends to ignore several speed-breakers that hamper this potential growth and are totally out of sync with the government’s avowed policy to make air travel affordable for the masses.

The post-pandemic era has seen a huge growth in air travel. First, it was the return of leisure travel - dubbed “revenge travel” as people began to venture out and try to make up for all the action they missed during the three years of the pandemic. This was followed by business travel as corporations went back to face-to-face meetings even as incentive tours, conferences, and exhibitions all returned. However, a combination of policy decisions, global political events, supply chain constraints, and environmental factors have all come together, creating major headwinds for the industry. These need to be quickly addressed and resolved if India’s air transport sector is to keep its date with its destiny.