look news india
New Delhi: A new airline is ready to take off in the aviation sector of the country. The Civil Aviation Ministry has given permission to the country's newest airline Shankh Air to start operations. However, before officially starting flights, the airline will have to get approval from aviation regulator DGCA. This will be Uttar Pradesh's first scheduled airline with hubs in Lucknow and Noida. According to the company's website, the airline's goal is to connect major cities of the country. The company's focus will be on those routes where the demand is high and the options are less. The Aviation Ministry said that the company has been directed to follow the provisions and rules related to FDI etc. The NOC given for operations will be valid for a period of three years. At present, IndiGo is the country's largest airline. It has a 63 percent share in India's aviation market. Meanwhile, Air India, the second largest airline that has become a part of the Tata Group, is also expanding rapidly. Vistara will merge with it in November. Along with this, Air India is also acquiring AirAsia India and merging Air India Express.
Aviation Marketplace
According to a report by aviation consultancy firm CAPA India, India is the third largest domestic aviation market in the world. The number of air passengers in the country recorded a robust growth of 15% in FY 2024. Domestic air traffic is expected to grow by 6-8% in the current financial year. This will take it to 161 to 164 million passengers. Similarly, international traffic is expected to grow by 9-11%. It will reach 75 to 78 million passengers by March 2025.
However, the airline business in the country is not easy. Several high-profile airlines have shut down in the last decade. These include Kingfisher Airlines, Jet Airways and Go First. SpiceJet is also struggling to survive. CAPA India estimates that Indian airlines will add 84 new aircraft to their fleet by the end of March 2025. This will take the total number of aircraft in domestic service to 812.