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NEW DELHI: With smaller cities driving air traffic volume growth, a time will come when air travel becomes the mode of mass transportation for most Indians, civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said at the Mint Mobility Conclave on Thursday.
Comparing growth rates of air travel and air-conditioned train travel, Scindia said the former was increasingly becoming a common mode of transport.
“Though it was a sector in its infancy in earlier days, we are now going through a very major growth phase in civil aviation in India," the minister said.
Scindia explained that India had about 144 million air travellers in the pre-covid year of 2019-20. The closest competitor in the transportation sector, Indian Railways, has about 185 million travellers in second class AC and first class AC, the minister said.
The minister added that in such sector-to-sector comparison, that is, air travel versus air-conditioned train travel, aviation still lags rail travel. “But if you look at the compounded annual growth rates of both these sectors, within the second class and first class AC sectors of the Railways, you are looking at a CAGR of roughly 5.3%. But when you look at the CAGR in civil aviation over the last six to seven years, you are looking at a CAGR of 10.6%. Therefore, a time will come in our country where civil aviation shall become the mode of mass transport for most of our citizens," Scindia said.