Big leap for Indian aviation sector

Last Sunday marked a new milestone in the history of Indian aviation. For the first time in history, the number of people who travelled via flights within India in a single day crossed five lakh on that day. This is the first time so many people have travelled by air on the same day that too in 3173 flights. The previous record was 4.90 lakh passengers. That was on last Friday. Favourable conditions are visible across the country where more people choose the aircraft for travel. The onset of the wedding season and the arrival of festive celebrations one after the other are positive factors. There was a time when air travel was only for nobles and high officials. That situation changed as the country progressed. The sky is within reach of anyone now.

Though there are complaints about airfares, most people today are looking for time-saving options and convenience, not money. The increase in the number of passengers is an indication that airlines, which were paralysed due to Covid, are slowly regenerating. More services are needed and facilities at airports need to be improved in line with this. The policy of the NDA government is to hand over the airports and management to private companies without keeping everything under the government. It has a good effect. Many major airports in the country are now run by private companies. The fact that there aren't many companies in the domestic air travel sector is a drawback for passengers. Only if there is competition will there be measures in favour of passengers in terms of fares and facilities.

The existing outlook in choosing new routes also needs to change. The 'UDAN' services were launched with the aim of connecting small towns in the country by air. However, it could not make as much headway as expected. Many smaller towns in the country are still not included in the aviation map. It is planned to build 200 new airports in the country in the next 20-25 years. It will cost Rs 92,000 crore. Medium airports also have to come up along with the big airports. The country is going to see a big leap forward in the aviation sector in the next two decades. Experts say it won't take long to break the current record of five lakh passengers in a day.

There was a time when people were opposed to new airports coming up. Kerala was at the forefront of this issue! Many may remember the storm of protests that erupted when the work on the Kochi airport began. The opposition and protests from some centres have not subsided even in the case of the proposed Sabarimala airport. The only solace is that the government is firmly determined to go ahead with the project despite opposition. If a new airport comes up, the growth, progress and employment potential for the region and the state in general is huge. Airlines and airports need to become a little more inclined towards passengers. Airline companies don't have a very good history of punctuality. The recent series of bomb threats has caused great fatigue to airlines. However, with the government taking a tough stand, that threat seems to have been removed now.