By: Anna Koretskaya
The Airports Authority of India has stated that Indian airports are likely to face a massive influx of passengers in the coming years. The number of people wishing to use air travel services could exceed 800 million by 2033.
Air transport is not the most sought-after mode of transport in India today. In 2019-2020, the Airports Authority of India estimates that only around 340 million people used air services, representing around 24% of the population of India. However, India has recently witnessed a significant increase in demand for many services that were previously not so popular due to various reasons. For example, the online gambling industry has been on the rise recently, as the number of people wishing to play real online casino games is growing exponentially. Something similar is happening in the airline industry, where the number of people who want to use air transport may increase to 840 million over the next 10 years. To meet the growing demand, the Indian government is taking steps to develop the country's airport infrastructure.
The first step towards improving airport infrastructure was the approval by the Ministry of Civil Aviation to build new airports in 21 cities including Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and others. The new airports will be built in the shortest possible time. However, there are many factors affecting the speed of construction including land acquisition procedures, removal of various hurdles, financial closure and others. Responsibility for construction is with the individual state government as well as the developer. To date, of the 21 new airports, eight have already been commissioned.
According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation in India, the face of the industry has changed significantly over the last 8-10 years. As of now, there are over 400 routes as per the UDAN scheme. This number will be increased to 1,000 by 2033, according to the ministry's plans. With civil aviation now on the rise in India, it could become one of the country's transportation strongholds along with road and rail in the near future.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has ordered an investigation into a recent incident of a man smoking on an in-flight aircraft. According to the Ministry, such behaviour is irresponsible and extremely dangerous. The Ministry's statement is a reaction to a recently released video which clearly shows a passenger smoking a cigarette on board an aircraft. However, it appears that the incident dates back to January this year and appropriate action has already been taken against the offender. As the number of flights grows, the rules on passenger behaviour will become tougher. So, passenger pre-boarding inspections may become even stricter.
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