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Why India?

• Every Indian should fly. There are approximately one billion people & only about 0.05% of them fly.

• India is 3rd fastest growing domestic aviation market in the world. (last year growth was 23% & will maintain 20% growth in next five years)

• Indian Subcontinent is the third largest market for new aircraft in Asia, behind China (1790) & Japan (640).

• More and more middle class families now prefer air travel to traditional rail travel. [Growing Middle-Class (income over Rs. 90,000 p.a.) - Source NCAER]

• Reduced air fares by the key players.

• People having greater disposable incomes.

• In 2003, 10 million Indians traveled by air domestically. In 2004, 25 million took to the skies within India and 6 million Indians traveled abroad.

• The more the merrier, More could take to the skies in the months and years to come, as wallet friendly new players like Kingfisher airlines spruced up plans to enter the aviation segment.

• According to CAPA (centre for Asia-Pacific aviation) forecasts, the total air traffic will rise by 5 million actual passengers each year over the next 10 years.

• Swift liberalization of the Indian market. With the ending of government protection for Indian Airlines, the adoption of an open skies agreement with the United States and the loosening of a previously tightly restrictive quota pact with Britain. India is an exciting aviation market.

• Growing Middle-Class (income over Rs. 90,000 p.a.) - Source NCAER (A group, equivalent to the enlarged European Union & bigger then USA).

INDIA LEARNS TO FLY

India's grossly underdeveloped air transport industry is a legacy of decades of government over-regulation and mismanagement that is linked to the protectionist and socialist economic policies embraced by successive governments since independence. But finally change is in the air.

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* Contributed by -
Manasi Panigrahi,
Pursuing MBA, Batch of 2006,
ICFAI Business School, Hyderabad.