India's domestic aviation market is becoming increasingly attractive to international airlines. With tier-2 and tier-3 cities are playing a crucial role in expanding India's International aviation footprint.
Image source Simple Flying
Recently, Etihad launched four weekly flights to Jaipur, and Saudi carrier Riyadh Air, ready to begin operations in 2025, plans to start flights to India by 2026. Riyadh Air has already ordered 39 Boeing 787-9 aircraft, with an option for 33 more.
India's aviation market is booming, driven by strong air travel sentiment and a fast-growing economy. Since 2023, IndiGo, Air India, and Akasa have ordered more than 1,600 aircraft, signalling further expansion of India's International impression.
India is in our top three target markets globally; it's a massive opportunity. We see potential in secondary cities and increasing wealth. People have more money to travel.
Gatwick Airport, which serves 24 Air India flights weekly, is in talks with IndiGo, which ordered 30 wide-body aircraft in May and is also engaging with Air India to explore more flight capacity to Gatwick.
Aviation Sector Growth Post-Covid
India's international aviation market has seen significant growth post-Covid. The number of international airports in the country increased from 35 in March 2019 to 40 by March 2024. International traffic at Indian airports rose 22% year-on-year to 69.64 million passengers in FY24, while domestic traffic grew nearly 14% to 306.8 million.
Image source Indian Aerospace and Defence Bulletin
Riyadh Air's CFO, Adam Boukadida, emphasized the importance of the Indian market. “We will use both wide-body and narrow-body aircraft for this market and partner with Indian carriers for a deeper network. We aim to connect India within 12 months of our launch, so it should happen during 2025-26.”
Chai Eamsiri, CEO of Thai Airways International, highlighted that India is their biggest market in terms of the number of cities served. They plan to operate in secondary cities once they receive new narrow-body aircraft.
General Willie Walsh, director of the International Air Transport Association, expressed optimism about India's aviation potential. He noted that the Indian domestic market has grown significantly, from 0.4% of global aviation in 2000 to 1.8% last year. He believes this potential will be fully unlocked with the right government policies.
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