Airports doubled from 2014 to 2024

Our airports have doubled from 74 in 2014 to 157 in 2024

15% increase in passengers year on year

Our airports handle a whopping 37.6 crore passengers which is a 15% increase year on year

3rd largest domestic aviation market

India has become the third largest domestic aviation market leaving behind Brazil and Indonesia.

7% growth rate internationally

It's clear that India is one of the fastest growing markets in the world with a 7% growth rate internationally and a 10% growth rate domestically
The story begins in 2016 when the country got the new civil aviation policy which fulfilled every common man's dream of flying

5 / 20 rule

The government amended the 5/20 rule
Airports were developed through public private partnership
And till now 1.43 crore people have availed the benefits off.
5/20 rule is an important regulation in which airlines needed at least 5 years of operational experience and a fleet of at least 20 aircrafts to operate international flights
This rule was introduced in 2004 so that airlines could get sufficient experience and resources before entering the international market
But in 2016 Modi government amended the 5/20 rule
Now carriers don't need to have completed five years on domestic rules How ever they still need to operate either at least 20 aircrafts and reserve 20 per off their fleet for domestic rules which ever is higher
This change has helped new entrants to enter the market and increased healthy competition

New entrants in civil aviation industry

Since 2014 there have been several new entrants in the Indian civil aviation industry like Air Asia, India Flybug, Zoom Air, Star Air.
Common citizens should get low air fares, more choices, service quality and regional connectivity

Highest number of low cost carriers

India has the highest number of low cost carriers in the world
By the end of April 2024 78.4% of India's domestic flights will be operated by LCC

Tops in affordable flying

So basically India tops the list when it comes to choosing affordable flying options
One of the major steps of the government is to promote the private sector
With the funding and efficiency of the private sector, the operations of airports are becoming even smoother and modern

14 major airports transformed

India's 14 major airports are already being transformed under public private partnership

Greenfield airports

One of the new greenfield airports has received in-principle approval
Out of these, 12 airports are operational right now .
Apart from this, the future travel experience will be tech savvy and eco-friendly with more green airports with next generation infrastructure and sustainability solutions.
Our country is now moving towards 100% green airports.
Today, there are a total of 66 airports in our country which run on 100% green energy.

Bengaluru Kempegowda terminal

Example: Bengaluru's Kempegowda terminal. Every corner of this terminal brings you closer to nature. Its entire airport design is innovative.It is made out of bamboo.
In 2033, the UNESCO recognized Kempegowda terminal will be one of the world's most beautiful and Delhi Airport has become India's first carbon neutral airport

Kochi International airport

We are moving towards solar powered airports Kochi International Airport is a notable example of being fully powered by solar energy

Air India privatisation

In fact, 2022 was the year when India witnessed the First major privatisation in two decades of the loss making Air India

New regulations for helicopters

New regulations came for helicopters and charter planes and aviation education and skill building also got priority

Digi yatra

Digi Yatra - As soon as you step into the airport your identity is verified in seconds using facial recognition technology and the entire process from entry to boarding is seamless.

Install the digi yatra app.

Click on register
Upload Aadhaar
Capture your selfie and
you are good to go
Over 55 lakh users have already downloaded the app And more than 3 crore passengers have used Digi Yatra to travel.

What is Digi Sky

It is a platform that makes drone registration and operation super easy
Ensures safety and compliance
It helps you operate your drone seamlessly
It is a game changer for drone operators

Drone rules 2021

The liberalised drone rules 2021 have really opened up the skies for drones in India

Multiplier effect

It's very interesting to note that the aviation industry has a multiplier effect
It has output multiplier of 3.25 and employment multiplier of 6.10
This means in simple language that every ₹1 invested in air transport contributes ₹ 325 worth of benefits and every 100 direct jobs in air transport results in 610 jobs in the broader economy
We are talking about 100 million passengers by the end of this year
This is going to rise to 400 million passengers by the year 2030
We need pilots for this growth
There was a time when aviation was short of pilots and crew but today, by focusing on education and skill building, we are ensuring that India has qualified pilots and crew

Highest number of commercial pilot licenses issued

In 2022, India has issued the highest number of commercial pilot licenses till date, which is double that of 2014 and 15 of them are women pilots
That is almost three times the global average

Highest number of female pilots

Which makes India the only country to have the highest number of female pilots
Not only this, in January 2021, an all-women crew completed India's longest non-stop flight from San Francisco to Bengaluru Covering a distance of 16,000 km in 17 hours, a new record in the aviation sector
The best part about tier-two and tier-three candidates is that they have a life to work India's pilot training is also top notch
We have 57 aircraft Maintenance Engineer training institutes that train around 3500 students annually
Not only this, today there are more than 35 flying training institutes in the country.

Passenger traffic

China has identified Passenger traffic reduced by 60.2% globally in 2020 but India's Recovery was impressive
India's domestic passenger traffic saw a drop of 48.8% in 2020, which is much less than the global average.
The interesting thing is that the US and India were the only two economies where the aviation sector recovered faster than other countries.

World Travel and Tourism council

In 2024, the World Travel and Tourism Council has ranked India on the eighth position, moving up from the previous 10th position
India is emerging as a preferred travel destination with its rich culture and natural resources

Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024

Recently the Parliament passed the Indian Air Force Bill which replaces the 90 year old The Aircraft Act 1934 - Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024,

Global MRO hub

Now this bill will help India to become a global MRO hub
MRO means Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Maintenance
Overhauling is a very big process in which the aircraft is replaced with its confidence is rebuilt
The aircraft is brought to almost new condition by replacing the old parts
This process not only increases the life of the aircraft but also meets the safety standards.
The MRO sector is quite large for domestic airlines in India.
Earlier, we used to depend on foreign countries for these services.
Earlier, DGCA standards were not recognized by the European authorities, due to which it was difficult to integrate Indian MRO providers into the global value chain.
Shortage of skilled aviation technicians and the lack of training and development programs was also a big challenge for the MRO industry.
To change this, the Modi government announced MRO guidelines in 2021, which will incentivize local businesses and reduce dependency on foreign services.
This will not only keep the expenses within the country but will also develop the aviation sector and create new employment opportunities.

Indian aircraft bill

Not only this, with the Indian Aircraft Bill, India will be able to approve and certify aircraft designs on its own. This bill has introduced the concept of State of Design Status that allows India to take on the responsibility of approving and certifying aircraft designs which was previously handled by the other country
Now India has its own capability which aligns with global aviation standards and this makes Aatmanirbhar Bharat even stronger.
By 2035, more than 40 crore people will be able to travel by air
With the increasing demand, the number of airports will increase from 157 to more than 230, which will connect the remotest locations of the country

Global aviation hub

PM Modi's vision is to make India a global aviation hub so that every common citizen of the country can easily reach every corner of the world

Startup in aviation sector

Today, on the strength of startup power, India is moving ahead at a fast pace to become the biggest expert in drone technology in the world and in the future we can see an emerging new sector, India's drone industry, which has the potential to become a global hub
This industry can generate a revenue of $6.6 billion by 2030 and its global market share can reach 7%

April 2025

Number of operational airports reached 159

![obsidian|200][photo_2025-10-21_15-47-39.jpg]

from 2014 to 2025, the number of airports saw an double fold increase of operational airports in India.

June 2025

Ahmedabad AI plane crash

The Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) have been recovered. ¹

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the United States and the Air Accidents Investigations Branch of the United Kingdom are a part of the investigation. ¹

The statement issued by the officials that the aircraft took up the entire length of the runway for take off.

Runway 23 at Ahmedabad is of a length of 3,505 metres long. This length is based on the outside temperature being 15 degree celsius. On the day of the accident, the temperature was 37 degree celsius and pressure reported was 1000 hPa.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) doc 9157, prescribes correction for temperatures and the corrected length in this case would be only 2,764 metres of runway.

Engine performance is based on temperature and atmospheric pressure. When data is entered in aircraft's flight management computer, it will give the crew the correct speed and thrust to be used.

All take offs weights are based on aircraft losing one engine and climbing out safely, clearing all obstacles in its take off path.

The landing gear has to be retracted soon as the aircraft takes off and reaching 35ft, indicated by an increase in altimeter reading in the cockpit primary flight display.

In this case, the landing gear was not retracted and must have created tremendous drag. With a loss of thrust in even one engine, the climb gradient will be severely affected.

In the CCTV footage released by the airport operator, the take off acceleration appears normal in the first 18 seconds. As the nose is raised for the take off, one can see the nose swinging to the right, indicating engine failure. If the statement of an official, that the aircraft took off right at the end of the runway, can be correlated with the swing of the plane to the right, it indicates the engine failure.

Only the DFDR can confirm whether it was normal engine failure or due to a bird hit or debris ingestion.

The thud that the surviving passenger mentions could be due to these possibilities. ¹

The video clearly shows the bird flying in the vicinity.

September 29, 1986, a similar incident to flight IC571, an Indian Airlines Airbus A300 aircraft, with 185 passengers and 11 crew a flight from Chennai to Mumbai.

The report on the accident said, "the copilot rotated the aircraft and when the aircraft attained 5 to 8 degree nose up altitude, a loud noise was heard from the right side followed by severe vibration. the commander took over the controls from the copilot at this stage and initiated action to abort the take off. " Reverse thrust and wheel brakes were applied but the aircraft could not be stopped on the runway and rolled over to kutcha ground. No fire and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

All 196 occupants were evacuated with 14 slightly injured.

Cause: Wrong decision of the commander to reject the take off after the aircraft had been rotated to lift off, following a loud sound and severe vibrations from the right engine due to a bird hit.

A pilot has to make a decision in split second.

the long take off run could have been due to over loading.

Several passengers have more than the permitted 7kgs of hand baggage. If one adds the weight of what they buy in duty free and carry with them on board, it would result in additional weight - of at least 10kg a passenger. ¹

When you add 2 tons of excess of weight on a very hot day, that could explain the very long take off run of the aircraft.

Why did the pilots not recognise the slow acceleration? Why did they forget to retract the landing gear on take off?

Boeing 787 Dreamliner has had a wonderful safety record for 14 years.

References

The Hindu - 18.06.2025 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴