MoCA votes for ‘flying for all’
Keeping this theme in mind, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) orchestrated the first-ever Global Aviation Summit 2019 in Mumbai. The question remains whether low fares can sustain the airlines who are constantly struggling to stay afloat.
T aviation summit was reminiscent of Captain Gopinath’s vision when he started Air Deccan. ‘Flying for all’ is an idyllic goal and perfect for a populous country like India, where every penny matters. And in an aviation market that has been growing in double plausible even. As per the ‘Vision 2040’ released by the ministry during the event, the Indian aviation market is on a high growth path with the total passenger traffic to, from and within India, during April-November 2018 growing by around 15 per cent year-on-year as compared to just six per cent globally. India is now the seventh- largest aviation market and is expected to become the third-largest by 2022. The presence of 83 countries at the event reflected the kind of interest these figures managed to generate. As RN
Choubey, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, puts it, “We are the aviation locomotive of the world. We are a land of inclusive growth and we wish to grow with you. The 20 per cent growth seen over the last four years will continue for the next 20 years given the stability of oil prices.” Surely, he hit the nail on the head with that last comment. Despite continuous growth in the aviation sector, Indian airlines have not managed to at all. Oil prices have been the main culprit, but the constant need to win passenger numbers at the cost of making money is another key reason for mounting losses. And yet Jayant Sinha, MoS, Ministry of Civil Aviation, said proudly in his speech, “The affordability of flying in India is second to none. We have the most affordable fares and I tell people that flying in India is cheaper than taking an autorickshaw if you look at it from a per km basis. If it is
` 5/ km in a rickshaw, flying is ` 4/km.” Ironically, no one from the ministry addressed the airlines. , including that of Air India. The continuous ‘growth story’ also begs the question why a few airlines have gone/ are going under. India needs a different algorithm that while allowing airlines to make money.