Indian Aviation Can Support 3 More Hubs And Become Largest Travel Market: Air India CEO

CEO Wilson said that 'there aren’t many other markets like India in the world. Northern India has a good east to west flow, while southern India can offer an Asia to Africa or Australia-Europe flow'

The aviation sector in India has the potential to become one of the world’s largest travel markets with the ever-growing consumer class and booming economic growth

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Indian aviation industry can easily support at least one more international hub apart from Mumbai and Delhi, Air India CEO, Campbell Wilson said on Wednesday. The airline executive noted that the airline sector in the country was growing at a rapid pace and could support more hubs.

Speaking at an industry event in Gurugram, Wilson said, “India can be home to at least three hubs and plenty of point-to-point services,” reported Bloomberg. He added that the Indian market remained one of the unique ones as ‘there aren’t many other markets like India in the world. Northern India has a good east to west flow, while southern India can offer an Asia to Africa or Australia-Europe flow.’

Notably, Air India last year inked one of the largest-ever aircraft purchasing deal in aviation history when it placed an order for 470 aircraft from Airbus SE and Boeing Co. The aviation sector in India has the potential to become one of the world’s largest travel markets with the ever-growing consumer class and booming economic growth.

Other carriers in India, including IndiGo and Akasa, have ordered over 1,100 aircraft and about $12 billion is being invested towards developing more than 72 new airports in the country by 2025.

In the last six months, Air India has received delivery of one new aircraft every six days and will keep taking these deliveries over the next one year. In March itself, Wilson revealed, the carrier received 11 new Boeing 777s, 3 Airbus A350s, and nearly 15 Boeing 737 Maxs. 

“At the time of privatization, Air India had 43 wide-body aircraft for a population of 1.3 billion. Singapore had 150 wide-body aircraft, Dubai had 250. That gives you a sense of how grossly underserved the Indian market was by Indian airlines,” Wilson noted.

Parent firm Tata Group will be merging Air India Express and AIX Connect into one entity, and Air India and Vistara into another. The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore also gave its approval to the merger between Air India and Vistara earlier this month.