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 A
recipe with ingredient like the resurging Indian
Aviation industry, ever increasing business market
due to attractive FDI opportunity, a growing air
traveler graph and a conglomerate of all the names
which matter in the industry, the event promises
to be a sure shot success.
Civil aviation minister Praful Patel expressed
confidence that the Telangana agitation would
not cast a shadow over the “India Aviation 2010”
to be held at Hyderabad from March 3 to 7.
“The worst seems to be over. Indian airlines
carried a record 44mn passengers in 2009 and Boeing
expects that number to increase by 8 to 10% in
this year,” exhorted Dinesh Keskar, President
Boeing India.
Last month, India’s largest private carriers
Jet Airways and SpiceJet reported net profits
in the final quarter of 2009 after posting losses
in the same period a year earlier. With India’s
economy rebounding, private carriers should post
a combined profit of $250- 300mn in the fiscal
year from April, the Centre for Asia-Pacific Aviation
recently forecast.
While France is the partner country and USA the
focus country, there will be country pavilions
from Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Russia and
the Netherlands. 115 companies from overseas and
the rest from India, will showcase their products
and services for the prospective buyer.
AN 148 aircraft of Antonov UACRussia is being
displayed for the first time. For static and flying
display, there will be over 40 aircraft against
35 that were there in India Aviation 2008. Over
18 hospitality chalets have been taken by various
companies from India and overseas to have meetings
with their prospective customers in a typical
airshow atmosphere. Besides this, there will be
national and international speakers at the Conference
along with inputs from all stakeholders.
Static and Customer Demonstration Flights from
the companies like Airbus, Bell Helicopter, Boeing,
Bombardier, Cessna Aircraft, Dassault Aviation,
Gulfstream Aerospace, Hawker Beechcraft, UAC and
many more will be the highlight of the show. Airlines
like Air India, Kingfisher, Jet Airways, Indigo,
Spicejet, Paramount and Qatar Airways will represent
the revival in the industry.
Private airlines account for around 75 per cent
share of the domestic aviation market. These airlines
are scripting the story of the revival of the
aviation sector and will be the cynosure of all
business activities at Begumpet, Hyderabad.
Stating that India provided a huge investment
opportunity in the aviation sector, the civil
aviation minister informed that about 200 to 300
billion dollars would be required in the next
10-15 years for development of aviation infrastructure
in India.
Aviation service agencies, charter transportation
organisations, cargo transportation services,
transport logistics service agencies, airline
charters, taxi operators, insurance agencies,
aviation tourism, aviation clubs, flying schools,
cabin crew and ground crew training institutes
and aviation engineering colleges, are going to
be the visitors to the exposition.
Exhibitor Profile also includes aero engines,
accessories and components, aircraft construction
and engineering, aircraft maintenance, overhaul
and repair, security systems, fire and safety
equipment, electric and lighting equipment, air-conditioning
and pressurizing equipment, flight simulators
and trainers, fueling equipment, fuels and lubricants,
meteorological equipment, parachutes, automatic
flight control systems, auxilliary and emergency
power units.
India Aviation 2010 is the premier civil aviation
exhibition in India, organized by the Ministry
of Civil Aviation and Federation of Indian Chambers
of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
The show is supported by Airports Authority
of India (AAI), Air India, Directorate General
of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Pawan Hans Helicopters
Ltd.
According to Mr MM Nambiar, Civil Aviation Secretary,
in addition to creating state-of-the-art airports
in Delhi and Mumbai, the Airports Authority of
India (AAI) is also spending US$ 427.5 million
on developing the airports in Kolkata and another
US$ 384.7 million on Chennai airport.
In fact, multi-billion dollar airport infrastructure
investments is planned to handle growing air traffic
of over 580 million passengers by 2016-17.
AAI plans investment of $1 billion to modernize
35 non metro airports. It also plans to develop
10 green field airports. Foreign equity up to
100% is permitted in airport infrastructure.
Air traffic services at 80 airports is to be
upgraded. Upcoming multi modal cargo hubs, growing
opportunities in MRO with a potential to service
a fleet of 1000 commercial and 500 general aviation
aircraft, these all make India a potentially huge
aviation market.
“The aviation sector suffered setbacks all over
the world in 2008-2009 due to global recession,
high fuel prices and load factor,” said Mr Praful
Patel.
But he points out that the bad patch is almost
over and the sector is looking up and forward.
The Indian government was also giving a dose of
significant financial help to Air India although
it expected the airline to take “extraordinary”
measures for its turnaround.
He has asked the Directorate General of Civil
Aviation (DGCA), which regulates the sector, to
ensure that airlines and travel portals incorporate
the fuel surcharge in the basic fare. The airport
and user development fees will be kept out of
it. “The minister has asked DGCA to ensure that
the airlines and portals charge only one fare,”
said a source in the ministry.
“The year 2009 has been an eventful and tumultuous
year for the civil aviation sector worldwide.
We can draw satisfaction from the fact that the
worst is over. Things are turning for the better,
which is borne out by the rebound in air traffic
figures from October onwards,” Mr Patel said in
a statement, adding: “I hope things will stabilise
in 2010 and flying will once again be the preferred
choice of travel for people.”
Once a symbol of India’s vibrant economic progress,
the aviation sector has seen its fortunes nosedive
since last year following the global slowdown.
India’s aviation sector, ranked the world’s
ninth largest, was valued at USD 5.6 billion in
2008 and it is slowly taking off as domestic and
international traffic volumes pick up again. The
Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation has predicted
that domestic traffic would rise by 25 to 30 per
cent in 2010, while international traffic was
expected to grow by 15 per cent.
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