Indian airlines plan to add 110-120 planes a year: Jyotiraditya Scindia

Indian carriers intend to add 110-120 planes a year as they look to rebuild their business after the third wave of Covid-19 pandemic, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Friday.

Domestic airlines added more than 100 planes for the first time in 2018 with IndiGo accounting for half of 120 inductions. But the growth slowed down with the collapse of Jet Airways in 2019 and the spread of Covid-19 infections in 2020.

At present, Indian airlines have a combined fleet of 710 aircraft, up from 400 eight years ago. While most of the aircraft inductions have been led by narrow-body Airbus A320 or Boeing 737 aircraft, Scindia called upon airlines to consider inducting widebody aircraft that fly the long haul routes.

“We need to connect the world,” he said, in his address at the Wings India event at Hyderabad on Friday.

Demand has bounced back strongly with the decline in Covid-19 cases. Airlines have planned 25,309 flights per week in summer schedule 2022, which is around 4 per cent higher than summer of 2020.

The daily total domestic traffic has reached 383,000 and is expected to cross the pre-Covid-19 figure of 410,000 this year as airlines are adding capacities.

Annual passenger throughput at airports is expected to reach 300 million this year and will surpass 410 million in 2024-25, the minister said. Passenger throughput refers to the number of passengers handled at an airport, including both arrivals and departures.

“We have emerged stronger and fitter (from the pandemic) and are ready to face the challenges and opportunities,” Scindia remarked.