Over the past decade, India's civil aviation transport sector has experienced sustained and rapid growth, surpassing the expectations of many.
In 2022, IndiGo Airlines, India's largest airline, transported 76.7 million passengers, surpassing China Southern Airlines for the first time and becoming the largest passenger carrier in Asia.
Although in 2023, IndiGo slipped to the second position in terms of passenger volume, this still demonstrates the immense potential of India's civil aviation industry.
Currently, the Indian civil aviation market is dominated by two companies:
Air India and IndiGo, subsidiaries of the Tata Group, which together hold nearly ninety percent of the market share.
Established in 2006, IndiGo's main hubs include Gandhi International Airport and Mumbai International Airport.
As Asia's largest low-cost carrier, IndiGo's market share in India is more than twice that of the second-ranked Indian Airlines.
Its market value also ranks among the top ten globally, making it one of the world's most valuable airline brands.
A few years ago, India's aviation market included several airlines such as Jet Airways, Vistara, AirAsia India, SpiceJet, and GoAir.
However, these companies either went bankrupt, were acquired, or saw their market share continuously diminish, leading India's civil aviation market into a duopoly era.
As the country with the largest population globally, India's aviation industry grows at 2.5 times the global average rate.
To meet market demands, both Air India and IndiGo continually expand their fleet sizes.
During the 2023 Paris Air Show, Air India signed orders for over 470 aircraft with Boeing and Airbus.
IndiGo, on the other hand, invested $55 billion to purchase 500 A320 series aircraft from Airbus, setting a record for the largest single order in commercial aviation history.
These aircraft are expected to be delivered between 2030 and 2035.
Currently, IndiGo operates approximately 300 aircraft. With its two recent large-scale purchase orders, IndiGo has ordered a total of 1,330 Airbus aircraft.
Once all deliveries are completed, IndiGo will become the airline with the largest number of Airbus aircraft globally.
According to disclosed data, India currently has 34 international airports and over 100 domestic airports, with the most famous international airports including Mumbai Airport, New Delhi Airport, and Madras Airport.
The Indian government also strongly supports the construction of civil aviation infrastructure, planning to invest $60 billion to build 100 new airports.
Whether this can be achieved remains to be seen.
Over the past decade, the number of air passengers in India has more than doubled, increasing from 60 million in 2014 to 152 million in 2023, setting a historic high and making it the world's third-largest aviation market after the United States and China.
The rapid development of India's civil aviation industry is mainly due to the continuous increase in household incomes and the youthful population structure.
Over time, India is expected to become the world's largest low-cost aviation market.
In contrast, China's civil aviation market is larger in scale.
China's rise in civil aviation passenger transport began in the 1990s, especially during the period from 1990 to 1995 when it grew rapidly.
By 2004, China's civil aviation passenger volume surpassed 100 million.
In 2002, civil aviation began implementing reforms to separate government functions from enterprise management and separate government functions from capital.
By 2019, China's total civil aviation transport turnover and passenger transport volume were more than double that of 2012, with passenger transport volume increasing from 319 million in 2012 to 660 million in 2019, achieving a doubling of growth and covering over 90% of the national population with its aviation service network.
By the end of 2023, there were a total of 259 transportation airports in mainland China, including 38 airports with annual passenger throughput exceeding tens of millions of people.
In early 2013, China's civil aviation fleet inventory was more than 1,950 aircraft;
by the end of 2023, this number had increased to 4,300 aircraft, nearly doubling in size over the past decade.
Currently, China's civil aviation market is dominated by three major airlines: Air China, China Eastern Airlines, and China Southern Airlines.
In 2023, these three major airlines collectively transported 386 million passengers, accounting for over 60% of the total civil aviation transport volume in the country, recovering to 97% of the level in 2019.
Among them, China Southern Airlines is the largest in terms of fleet size and passenger volume, transporting over 140 million passengers in 2023, reclaiming its position as Asia's largest airline.
In 2023, Chinese civil aviation companies cumulatively transported 619 million passengers, and with a strong rebound in the domestic aviation market, it is expected to break the record of 660 million passengers set in 2019 by 2024.
Compared to India's aviation passenger transport volume, China's volume is four times larger, demonstrating the enormous potential of China's civil aviation market.
Overall, despite rapid development, India's civil aviation industry still lags behind China in certain aspects.
Nevertheless, the potential and future prospects of India's civil aviation industry remain considerable.
With continuous growth in market demand and ongoing improvements in infrastructure, India is expected to occupy a more prominent position in the global civil aviation market.
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