So the average Indian can fly: How aviation is being transformed from an elite to a public service
The Times of India Jayant Sinha and Akhilesh Tilotia India’s aviation sector is being rapidly transformed and air travel is becoming indispensable for the general public. India is now the fastest growing major aviation market – the number of air passengers has been growing more than 20% year-on-year. In the past 12 months, more than 9 crore passengers flew domestically and another 5 crores or so flew internationally. In the next few years, India will likely become the third largest aviation market in the world after the US and China. The new National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP), particularly the Regional Connectivity Scheme, will further accelerate this transformation. Spurred by supportive government policies and the NCAP announced in June 2016, the aviation sector has taken off. Along with plunging oil prices and lower interest rates, air travel has become much more affordable and accessible. In fact, air travel is approaching “rail parity” in terms of AC fares and passengers