Air Travel Booms In India, Strains Creaky Infrastructure

Experts say the explosion in air travel of the past decade has happened despite major hurdles in the form of high jet fuel prices, lack of aircraft maintenance infrastructure, choked airports working beyond their capacities and fierce fare wars that have many carriers in the red. Air travel in India is "showing double digit growth and will continue to grow at double digits for the next 10 to 15 years," said Kapil Kaul, regional head of the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. Budget airline Indigo was the first private carrier to fly to the northeast, starting flights in 2006 to an area that was otherwise an epic train and bus journey. Aviation experts say that in the past, socialist-leaning politicians viewed traveling by plane as a luxury and not as an enabler of business and economic growth. The luxury tag ensured punitive taxes on jet fuel, making it nearly 60 percent more expensive than in Singapore or Dubai, both home to busy international airports. Aviation experts say the policy remains unclear on an existing condition imposed on airlines in India known as the "5/20 rule" where the government does not allow new airlines to fly internationally until they have completed five years of operation and have at least 20 aircraft. A few years ago, civil aviation authorities detected fake pilot licenses, an unlicensed 'flying school' supplying certificates and touts who helped unqualified candidates obtain licenses for a price. A government crackdown on those issuing fake certificates and tighter scrutiny of airlines' hiring practices has curbed the problem.

Topics:  air   india   kapil kaul   centre   asia pacific   budget   indigo   singapore   dubai   a   aviation   experts   growth   fuel   jet   fly   licenses   luxury   double   government   
BING NEWS:
  • Journeying through India's travel trends
    Heatwave drives adventurers and backpackers to plan summer escapes to cooler destinations. Popular hill stations like Darjeeling and Gangtok are favoured by Kolkata travelers. Insights from industry ...
    04/23/2024 - 5:30 pm | View Link
  • We found the best air mattresses that are actually comfortable
    The air mattresses of our youth are long gone — you can find one that doesn’t leave you sore and creaky in the morning. An air mattress that leaks air is a literal nightmare. We spoke to ...
    04/19/2024 - 7:35 am | View Link
  • Dog Company Announces New Air Travel Experience Designed Specifically for Canines: They 'Will Be the VIPs'
    Earlier this week, BARK, a dog-focused company that provides products, services and content for canines, launched BARK Air, the "world’s first air travel experience designed specifically for ...
    04/13/2024 - 2:00 am | View Link
  • Air India Flights & Tickets
    We've compared every online travel agent out there to find the cheapest flight tickets on the net. If Air India flies to your chosen destination, you'll be able to filter your results to just those ...
    03/18/2024 - 3:29 am | View Link
  • More

 

Welcome to Wopular!

Welcome to Wopular

Wopular is an online newspaper rack, giving you a summary view of the top headlines from the top news sites.

Senh Duong (Founder)
Wopular, MWB, RottenTomatoes

Subscribe to Wopular's RSS Fan Wopular on Facebook Follow Wopular on Twitter Follow Wopular on Google Plus

MoviesWithButter : Our Sister Site

More Business News