The aviation industry in India is counted among the country’s fastest-growing sectors. In this sector, rapid as well as constant development has been taking place over the last few years. The aviation industry in India successfully bagged the position of the third-most abundant domestic civil aviation industry in the world. This industry will soon be the largest aviation industry in the world, clinching the number one position.

History of aviation in India

India is known as the fastest and the largest aviation market of the world after China and the US. However, the history of aviation in India is closely associated with state control, and Air India when it started its roots in 1930. India’s first airline was named Tata Air Service in 1932. The founder of this airline was J.R.D Tata. This inaugural flight by Tata Air Service flew from Karachi (Southern Pakistan) to Mumbai in October 1932. The airline gradually progressed from a cargo airline to one catering to commercial passengers. From 1938, Tata Airline Services were flying domestic flights to various places. J.R.D. Tata was very actively involved with the functioning of this airline service. He was known as the first licensed pilot who flew the first flight in 1932. During the second world war, Tata Airways played a crucial role by carrying supplies and troops from Britain.

Later in 1947, after independence, Tata Airlines came to be known also as Air India. The Air India airline began to fly its first international flight in 1948, from Mumbai to London. And gradually by 1950, several smaller airlines were introduced in India that operated in different parts of India. A few of the notable airlines of that time were Deccan Airways of Hyderabad, Kalinga Airways that was based in Kolkata, etc. Currently, Air India flies on so many international as well as domestic routes.

The government of India nationalised India’s aviation industry in 1953 and took the responsibility to control all the important and major airlines. As a result, a total of eight major airlines were combined and merged into two airlines by the Indian government. They were named Indian Airlines and Air India.

Facts about the Indian aviation industry

There are certain facts about the Indian aviation industry that most people aren’t aware of. This highly influential industry has some surprising facts backing it that prove its status as one of the most powerful industries in the Indian Economy. Here are a few important and interesting facts about the Indian aeronautical industry:

• A Mixture of Hard work and Complications: Although the aviation industry is growing rapidly, it is also very important to note that there is a lot more hard work and complications in this industry. Due to huge competition among the airlines, for instance, SpiceJet Airlines, IndiGo Airlines, Vistara, competition is picking up in the aviation industry.
• Excellent Job Opportunities: Aspirants pursuing aviation courses or searching for an excellent career in the aviation industry can enjoy the benefits of excellent job opportunities in this sector. The cabin crew management courses have a double advantage as the promotion of a cabin crew member then happens very quickly. Apart from cabin crew jobs, other jobs that also progress relatively in the aviation industry are air traffic control, operations management, warehousing, engineers, retail, etc.
• Air Traffic Hike: In recent times, India experienced a massive increase in air traffic. For travelling across states, passengers are preferring flights to trains because of cheaper airfares.
• Airports Situated in India: India has a total of 450 commercial and defence airports.  Most of these airports are efficiently managed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). AAI controls over 125 airports in India. Among them, 11 are international airports and 77 are domestic airports. Apart from these, 9 airports are from the customs department and 28 are from the defence department.
• First Solar Energy Airport in the World: The world’s first solar energy airport is situated in India. This airport is located in Kochi and it entirely functions on solar power.
• Investments in Airports: Rs 15,000 crores has been invested for the development of the terminals as well as creating 15 more Indian airports. The AAI is also ensuring better development for increasing traffic, in a few major cities such as Lucknow, Rajkot, Allahabad, etc.

Conclusion

On a concluding note, we may say that the aviation industry in India was one of the rapidly growing and major industries. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the aviation industry faced a downfall as planned trips for the passengers were being cancelled and flying was suspended. And because of this reason, the economies of major nations became affected. Consequently, this loss directly affected the GDP of these countries, including India. The aviation industry contributes $72 billion towards the GDP of our country. But now, as the situation is gradually improving, it has been predicted that the aviation industry in India will bounce back soon by the end of 2022 or the beginning of 2023.