India is the third-largest aviation market in the world. Although miles behind the US and China, it still supplies plenty of passengers for domestic and international carriers to thrive on. The last 20 years have seen the low-cost segment take off in the country, and even airports have received a significant facelift.
Still, there isn't a single airport in India that can compete with the big hub airports in the world, such as Dubai airport and Singapore Changi, when it comes to international connectivity. Recently, India's aviation minister spoke about the possibility of establishing an international aviation hub in the country and the challenges along the way.
Can it happen?
India's Minister of Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya Scindia, recently expressed his desire to develop an aviation hub in India and said that the government is trying to create an ecosystem to support such a development in the future.
While Indian airports often feature in the list of busiest and well-maintained airports, they're nowhere near some of their global counterparts when it comes to offering fast and reliable connections to international passengers.
It is, however, easier said than done, and Scindia realizes that. At an event organized by industry body Assocham, he discussed in detail about what works for India and the need to identify and overcome the challenges for a hub airport.
Time is right
Scindia stressed that there were 200 million domestic and international air passengers in India before COVID-19 and that this number would reach 400 million over the next seven to 10 years. The country is also projected to have a total of 220 airports, including heliports and aerodromes, by 2026.
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While most passengers will continue to feed the domestic market, the international sector is also expected to grow substantially.
India's geographic location could also be an advantage, positioned conveniently between important global destinations. Except for South America, India is connected with every continent through non-stop flights.
As pointed out by Times Now, around 30% of the world's population live within about a five-hour radius of India, and analysts think there is no reason that India cannot compete with current aviation hubs like Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, or London.
Challenges
Scindia said that for India to operate a hub airport successfully, there need to be anchor airlines to shoulder the task of reliably carrying passengers across the world. He also stated that Indian carriers need to invest in more widebody aircraft for the concept to take off, adding,
“Its only when we get greater number of wide-body aircraft in our fleet that you are actually going to start locating one of India’s airports as an international hub.”
Another challenge is an adequate workforce to sustain such operations. While India has seen the development of many airports over the last few years, there have been several reports of many of them being understaffed. Air Traffic Control is one such department that needs more employees urgently.
Scindia is also aware of these issues and said that the aviation ministry has given approval for 370 air traffic controllers to be hired and that the recruitment process will be completed by December.
Of course, we're only scratching the surface here, as for any world-class hub airport to function, everything needs to function like clockwork, and that includes everything from trained staff to security.
While the road to a hub airport in India might not be that smooth, it's good to see the authorities at least start a conversation about it.
What challenges do you feel India needs to overcome to host a successful hub airport? Please let us know in the comment section below.
Source: Times Now