The opportunities and challenges of civil aviation in India, Part 1: Airport sector liberalisation

Abstract

India's civil aviation has been experiencing rapid growth in recent years. This remarkable growth, however, is slowing down this year as aviation worldwide faces volatile and increasingly expensive fuel prices. In conjunction with economic development and tapping into latent demand, the country's civil aviation has been growing at an average rate of 20 per cent during the past few years. While the low base has allowed this rapid expansion, further growth will require massive investments in infrastructure, redesigning airspace and improving the overall air traffic management system, together with changes in procedures while maintaining strict adherence to the international standards of safety and security. This paper reviews the country's civil aviation with a special emphasis on airports. In particular, trends in air traffic together with the present status of the infrastructure provide clear insights into the challenges that the country may face in the near term in dealing with airport development.