Flying High

Can you recall the number of Airlines that were in operation during the '80s and the '90s? The answer would be most probably ummm 2 or 3.. but if I ask you how many airlines are operating now? The answer will come in a flash ' 9. The number has almost gone up by 3 times and so is the competition. Gone are the days when the "Maharaja'' of Air India was reigning high in the sky. With the private operators like Jet, Kingfisher, Spice, Indigo, Go Air, Air Deccan, Paramount the "Maharaja" is on the verge of losing his territory in the blue canopy above our head. These private operators have not only captured the sky by providing luxury but also by means of aggressive marketing. Air Deccan is perhaps the first private operator to spark the "Low Air-fare" revolution by offering tickets at a cost of Re.1! Then followed in Go Air, Spice, Indigo. Their main target was to tap the people travelling by A.C. coach of the Indian Railways & they succeeded. "Air Deccan's low fare has left the low cost operating airlines bleeding "- this was the statement made by Vijay Mallya recently. True, though the aviation sector has witnessed a growth in the last 5 years and the projected growth is 20% within the next 4 years still most of the airlines report an annual loss. This loss is reported mainly because of per passenger yield due to low fares & high fuel price. On the other hands elite operators like Kingfisher, Jet etc attracts passengers by providing luxury at 35.000 feet. Whatever may be the reason it is clear that the Indian sky is in a boom.


Despite of so many success stories being scripted at 35,000 feet above the ground still there are some major concerns which are being overlooked. The first one is obviously the space up there. I read it a year back in a newspaper that the way in which number of flights is being introduced there may be a day when we will be facing traffic congestion in the sky. Perhaps that prediction was not too wrong. I on the way back to home from hostel during the Christmas break. My flight was scheduled at 2.30p.m. but I got to board the aircraft at 5p.m! There were two reasons- first, the flight originated from Delhi where it got delayed due to fog n second, it came to Mumbai at 3.30p.m but could make a landing only at 4p.m as there were no space to land so it hovered around the airport for half an hour!!! Perhaps this is why inspite of having 4 runways the Mumbai Airport authority is thinking of operating some domestic flights from Andheri (right Nik?) Even Kolkata is also going to have a second airport within the next 5-7years to handle the pressure.


Next comes in, perhaps the biggest threat, the OZONE layer is in danger!! That's what some of the scientist say. Their study shows that due to increase in flights the ozone layer is being affected by the smoke emitted by the aircrafts. Damage in that layer means more UV rays.


Another threat is collision at 35,000 feet. In the last year it was reported that there were 27cases of nearly misses. The first one was between an Air Deccan & IAF aircraft. The second one was reported between Jet & Sahara aircraft respectively & the list goes on. Though in these 27 cases collision was averted, thanks to the pilots but I doubt how long it can be averted with so many aircrafts speeding up there? Human beings do fail n so does machines!


Not all the operators are using brand new aircrafts some are as old as 15 years. They are also not in a position to order new ones. So these aged aircrafts do pose a threat with low maintenance level.


So with all these problems and threats what is your take on the aviation industry? Can you suggest some remedies or add to these?