Whenever you book a long distance flight to America or Europe, your flight often passes through Dubai, Doha or Singapore. From the point of view of a common traveller, it seems to be just a halt, but in reality, billions of rupees of India are going to the foreign treasury from here. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has today inaugurated Noida International Airport in Jewar, Uttar Pradesh in the presence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. This airport is not only to increase the connectivity of cities, but is also a big effort to stop this ‘economic theft’ happening in India’s aviation sector.
Indian traveler filling the coffers of foreign countries
India’s aviation market is the fastest growing in the world, but the real earnings of this growth are going to the accounts of foreign airports. According to a report by CAPA, according to the data for FY 2020, 69 percent of Indian passengers going to Europe and North America took their connecting flights from foreign airports like Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha. This simply means that when the country’s most premium traveler stays abroad, he spends a lot of money in the duty-free shops, lounges and retail stores there. GrabOn data shows that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) alone accounts for 27 percent of India’s total international traffic.
‘Flight’ of ₹2 lakh crore in the name of servicing
Another problem bigger than the loss caused by passenger transit is the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of aircraft. In the last two years, Indian Airlines has placed bumper orders for 1,359 new aircraft. Despite having such a large fleet, 90 percent of our aircraft are still serviced in Singapore, Dubai and Malaysia. Upstox has presented a shocking figure quoting Grandview Research. Due to lack of maintenance system for aircraft in the country, about 2.5 billion dollars (about Rs 2 lakh crore) is going out of India every year.
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How will Jewar Airport turn this whole game?
To prevent this huge loss, the foundation of Noida International Airport was laid. The government is preparing it not just as an airstrip but as a ‘multi-modal global connectivity hub’. This airport, located near Yamuna Expressway, will be fully connected to road, rail and metro networks in future. The plan is to make it a huge transit hub from where Indian passengers can directly connect to go abroad. Apart from this, by developing MRO facilities here, those aircraft which are currently sent abroad for servicing will be repaired in India.
Will just erecting the building be enough?
The real test for the government begins now. Creating a great infrastructure is not enough. To turn it into a successful transit hub, airlines will have to establish their strong network here. To attract foreign airlines, competitive charges and better slots will have to be offered. Unless a strong airline ecosystem is created here, the dream of international flights and connecting flights will not be fully realized. If this strategy is successful, then the earnings of transit passengers will stay in India and the Rs 2 lakh crore flowing through MRO will also strengthen the country’s economy.
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