2023- the most important year for Indian Aviation?

2023 was a good year for aviation overall with airlines not only recovering from the slump of the COVID-19 pandemic but also saw record profits and passenger numbers as air travel recovered with a bang post pandemic. Same can be said for Indian aviation as the industry as the industry witnessed an impeccable rise.

Breaking records!

2023 saw the highest domestic passengers' numbers in Indian civil aviation history as almost 150 million passengers travelled in 2023 which was 8.34% higher than the numbers in 2022. Air Travel has seen a steep rise in demand ever since the lifting of COVID restrictions and especially in India the demand has exponentially risen to record passenger numbers.

It's raining planes!

One of the main reasons why I believe that 2023 was one of the most important years for Indian Aviation are the sheer number of orders major airlines placed. This kicked off with Air India's record braking 470 planes from Boeing and Airbus in February of 2023. Until that time, this was considered to be the biggest order until Indigo took them over in a few months with an order of 500 airbus narrowbody jets. In total, almost 1000 planes were ordered which is just, massive! This large influx of airplanes really goes on to show the muscle power Indian airlines possess in the recent times and this order just goes on to show just that. Never in the history of Indian Civil Aviation has airlines place such massive orders.

Source- OneMileatatime

Some goodbyes are harder than others.

GoFirst was one of the largest and a well-known airline brand in India with a market share of 8.4 percent and an order for over 100 narrowbodies. However, on the 3rd of May, GoFirst ceased operations. The reason behind this was cited to be the Pratt and Whitney engine issues faced by the airline's A320neo jets which led the aircrafts to be grounded. Due to further supply chain issues within P and W caused these aircrafts to be grounded further which caused flight disruptions and an increase in costs. Add further management issues within the GoFirst board of directors and you have a recipe for disaster for any airline and India lost yet another airline in a promising market.

Source- Reuters

Tata's Big Gamble

Air India and its subsidiary Air India express went through a massive transformation in 2023. Along with the massive order, both the brands went through a complete makeover in regard to their livery and image which I've covered in detail here and here. I believe this is a big gamble being played out by tatas in order to revitalize the image of the airline and make it one of the best as this strategy may either backfire or work in their favor.

Source- Hindustan Times

This is just the beginning!

2023 no doubt was one of the most important years for Indian aviation, however this is just the beginning. With air travel continuing to grow and a large influx of aircrafts expected in the next few coming years, India is expected to reach record passenger numbers with a number of new connections opening up to new destinations. This will act as the perfect catalyst for India to be one of the biggest aviation markets in the world.