As India increases its economic growth the population is taking to the air in travel and more and more are flying. Commercial Aviation traffic has increased ten fold in te last five years and is expected to do so again. India will need to set up the latest in air traffic control to handle the crowed skies. Additionally India's private aircraft markets are increasing too along with a brand new general aviation manufacturing sector.
Many of India's smaller airports are dirt strips and in need of upgrade. There are major infrastructure projects needed to help these airports. Meanwhile aviation experts warn of air-traffic snarls and eminent safety issues. There are 100 civil airports in India and twelve are international airports. Meanwhile India's airline passenger traffic is expected to exceed 50 million in less than five years and that is at the current growth rates. One industry insider stated in a major Indian newspaper; ''We won't be able to handle all passenger traffic in coming years as is being envisaged now."
One consulting firm determined that it would take over 20 billion in capital investment to bring the airports into normal safety compliance of other countries in the next decade, some think much more as things progress. Thirty Billion in new airline aircraft have already been ordered from Boeing and Airbus and more are expected in the next two-years. Some industry analysts believe the number of new jets ordered of 490 is less than a third of what will be needed. This of course is great news for Boeing and Airbus.
India is also well located for the international traveler as a hub city to the Middle East, Europe and Asia as it sits along most direct routes and perfect for the World's traveling business crowds. But can the airports handle the demand as the airlines buy more and more jets and the demand for air travel increases? Parking alone is a huge issue, as the number of automobiles in the country is also skyrocketing as citizens gain access to the middle class.
As aircraft become larger there are even more issues as a 747 or the new Airbus A380 unloading puts 1000's of people in the terminal all at once and connecting flights wait for the bottle neck. The issues are huge. New runways, taxi ways, landing systems, air traffic control towers, terminals, parking, emergency services, environmental care, conveyor belts, check in systems, security, cargo warehouses, IT Systems, computers, air-conditioning and all the private sector hotels, car rentals, ground transportation interface and trucking terminals. Think about how big this really is for a country growing this fast?
If you are traveling to India expect delays, traffic, inconvenience as the airports work thru their growing pains. In the United States we know all too well the truth of that advice, imagine the problem times ten. Think on this.
"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs