Jetrader - July/August 2008 - (Page 18)

An Up Close and Personal Analysis of T Indian Aviation Words and Airport Construction Photos by Kristen Chmielewski he future predicts vast improvement for Indian aviation following the modernization and construction of state-of-the-art airﬁelds and the exceptional increases in airlines’ ﬂeet size. Still, as promising as this forecast seems, infrastructure concerns, continued construction postponements and rising Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) prices may delay India’s airborne momentum. India is one of the best countries in which to study the progress of the aviation industry. Possessing phases of visible evolution, India is progressively modernizing. Ever since Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel revolutionized the aviation bureaucracy, the industry reported ﬁscal year growth in 2007 of 39.5 percent with more than 90 million passengers taking to the skies, supplementing the 28 percent increase in 2006 and 20 percent in 2005. As a whole, India holds an impressive 7.5 percent stake in global Airbus orders at 271 with a lesser but signiﬁcant order of 111 aircraft with its competitor Boeing. Air India awaits delivery of its ﬂeet expansion plan of 111 aircraft, including 27 of the latest stateof-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliners. As of last February, Air India also became the ﬁrst airline to offer non-stop service between Delhi and JFK, New York utilizing its Boeing 777-200LR. Through the announced merger of Kingﬁsher Airlines and Air Deccan last December, the combined airline will join Air India in offering international travel with a larger, more capable ﬂeet utilizing Kingﬁsher’s ﬁve expected A380 superjumbos. Domestic IndiGo Airlines similarly expects more than 80 A320 and A321 aircraft, multiplying its ﬂeet six times. “The aim is to rationalize and provide more seamless connectivity across 120 destinations in India and overseas, spanning 39 countries,” said an Air India spokesperson. Air India’s bid approval for entrance into the world-renowned Star Alliance consortium coupled with construction of modern international airports in Bangalore and Hyderabad signal signiﬁcant potential for both increased tourism and ease of travel. Air India’s New York to Delhi B777-200LR begins its long journey. Image courtesy of Air India. 18 The ofﬁcial publication of the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Jetrader - July/August 2008

Jetrader - July/August 2008 A Message from the President Contents Calendar/News Q&A: Ron K. Anderson Challenges Facing the Very Light Jet An Up Close and Personal Analysis of Indian Aviation Inflation and the Upside Case for Aircraft Investors Aircraft Charts Aircraft Appraisals From the ISTAT Foundation Aviation History

Jetrader - July/August 2008

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