Scindia also mentioned the day as very important in the history of civil aviation in India as Akasa Air commenced its services on Sunday.
Akasa Air is backed by the celebrity investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala and the veterans of aviation sector like Aditya Ghosh and Vinay Dube. The carrier operated its first flight between Mumbai to Ahmedabad on Sunday. The inaugural flight was flagged off by Scindia.
"It has been eight long years since an airline has been launched in India. In the last almost two decades, all we have heard is how difficult it has been for airlines to function, multiple issues they have internally faced and we have seen seven airlines being shut down (over last 20 years)," Scindia told PTI in an interview.
The Union Minister mentioned the deep impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the aviation industry and he affirmed that the sector is back on the path to recovery. With the reborn Jet Airways, reinvented Air India and now Akasa Air, the aviation sector is going to be a growing market. "A market which is going to be a healthy market".
The number of travellers boomed from 6 crores in 2013-14 to a whopping 20 crores in 2019-20. "Therefore, you have experienced an almost 250% increase over five years in terms of travellers."
"Our forecast is that by 2027, you will have 40 crore travellers in India (both domestic and international). That is the kind of growth potential we are looking at in terms of passengers," the minister said.
In 2013 there were about 400 aircrafts in India and in 2021-22, the number rose to 700.
"We are going to add 15 per cent capacity or 100 to 110 aircraft per year. India is looking at close to 1,200 aircraft by 2027," Scindia said and emphasized there is growth in the market, fleet and airports.
In last eight years the number of airports in the country have gone up from 74 to 141.
"We intend to go to 220 airports by 2030. That is the phenomenal growth that you are going to see on infrastructure as far as airports are concerned, in terms of service capabilities, airlines and in terms of passengers...," Scindia said.
Scindia also affirmed that the day is not far when the civil aviation sector will become a very strong foundation and bulwark of the transportation industry in India.
With Inputs from PTI
