Tag Archives: aviation

In a significant step, India airlines are bracing up for an increased flight frequency in the upcoming summer schedule, beginning from March 31 by operating 24,275 weekly domestic flights. According to the DGCA, the number of weekly departures is set to rise by 2.30 per cent compared to the ongoing winter schedule, where scheduled carriers are operating 23,732 flights.

Air India Express, a low-cost subsidiary of Air India, will commence flights to Imphal and Kochi from Kolkata on 4 April. The airline hopes to add two international services to Kathmandu and Dhaka from the city the following month. Meanwhile, the introduction of direct flights would boost travel in India.

Arshdeep Anand, Chairperson, ATOAI Women’s Collective, shared, “Increased air connectivity is directly proportional to increased tourism activity in a particular destination. Govt is making efforts to develop niche tourism in the country in the form of island tourism, adventure tourism, wildlife tourism, spiritual and wellness tourism. If our domestic carriers can come up with connectivity to develop these circuits, it would boost the tourism potential within the country. There is also a great demand-supply gap from India in relation to flights to Scandinavia for Northern lights, except to Finland and Copenhagen.

Giving an overview of India’s ‘Hotels & Hospitality’ sector, HVS Anarock revealed that India’s domestic air passenger traffic increased by nearly 5 per cent in January 2024 but the country’s hotel sector saw lower occupancy compared to pre-pandemic levels and continued growth in average rates.

Homa Mistry, CEO, Trail Blazer Tours India said, “New routes are launched because new airlines and airports are coming in but they do not stay there for long. It becomes a real demand and supply issue and promoting a destination becomes a problem. Thus, continuity and commitment are important for inbound.”

Noor Ahmad Hamid, CEO, PATA highlights India’s unparalleled aircraft acquisition spree, with the country poised to witness the delivery of nearly three new aircraft per week over the next four years. This surge, coupled with initiatives like Air India’s restructuring, will enhance India’s competitiveness in the region.

Manta Air announced the commencement of its first international flight between Dhaalu Airport in Maldives and Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on 1 March, 2024. This new route will save 4-5 hours of tourists’ time as they can avoid the overtly crowded Velana International Airport of Maldives.

Minister of Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia chaired an advisory committee meeting with airport operators, and key stakeholders to discuss transformative changes in airport interior design and technologies to expedite immigration and security check processes for international travellers. The meeting emphasized the common goal of positioning India at the forefront of air travel.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that aviation sector has been galvanized in the past ten years. Number of airports have doubled to 149. “Roll out of air connectivity to tier-two and tier-three cities under UDAN scheme has been widespread. Five hundred and seventeen new routes are carrying 1.3 crore passengers. Indian carriers have pro-actively placed orders for over 1000 new aircrafts. Expansion of existing airports and development of new airports will continue expeditiously,” she added. This development will result into better connectivity, and more flight routes, which will eventually escalate the aviation industry and will significantly increase the number of tourist arrivals.

While unveiling the Interim Budget 2024,  Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that the government aims to fortify the Electric Vehicle (EV) ecosystem by investing in the manufacturing and charging infrastructure. Additionally, she introduced that govt is going to launch new bio-manufacturing scheme to foster green growth. Consequently, the aviation sector will get a boost in green initiatives as they plan to introduce more strategies for responsible travelling.