INDIAN SKIES EXPAND

A soaring aviation sector is reshaping the region into a global air hub

- FREDDIE REIDY

Global aviation is booming in 2025, with revenue set to top US$1 trillion for the first time according to industry body IATA. Nowhere is this growth more keenly felt than in India.

The rise of Indian aviation has been a remarkable journey, driven by a combination of economic growth, policy reforms and an expanding middle class. The liberalisation of the aviation sector, introduction of low-cost carriers like IndiGo, and major restructuring of flag carrier Air India, have all played a pivotal role in boosting the nation's commercial aviation sector.

The government's push for infrastructure development, including the expansion of airports, has also contributed significantly to the industry's growth. As a result, India now boasts one of the fastest-growing aviation markets in the world. Here we take a look at what's to come.

Romantic beginnings

Integral to the country's evolutionary tale is Air India and the 'father of Indian civil aviation' behind its launch. JRD Tata, scion of the Tata Sons conglomerate and one of the first person to obtain a commercial pilot licence in India, founded what would become the nation's flag carrier in 1932. Tata had won a contract from British Airways' forerunner Imperial Airways, delivering post with a single propeller monoplane in an era when all-wood aircraft ruled the skies. Over time, the route network expanded across India, with passengers joining the postal bags.

The post-independence government took a sizeable stake in Tata's airline. For a time, this worked well, and Air India became Asia's first airline to enter the jet age, connecting India to the rest of the world with a Boeing 707 in 1960, before later introducing the 747 in 1971.