A new airline Shankh Air is going to start soon in India. The Union Aviation Ministry has given permission to the airline to start operations. Now the airline will have to take approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation before flying.
Learn more about the airline here
– Shankh Air is the newest airline among the Indian airlines
– According to its website, the company aims to connect major cities across India, providing both interstate and intrastate routes.
– Its primary target will be to connect those regions where the demand for direct flights is high but availability is low.
– Conch Air is preparing to start operations with a fleet of new Boeing 737-800NG aircraft.
– With operational hubs in Lucknow and Noida, the airline’s first flight will depart from Uttar Pradesh.
– The approval letter from the Aviation Ministry said, “The company is directed to comply with the relevant provisions and regulations of FDI, SEBI etc. as well as other applicable rules and regulations in this regard.”
– The airline has been granted a No Objection Certificate (NOC), which is valid for three years.
Growing aviation market in India
– According to research by aviation consulting firm CAPA India, India handled 376 million passengers in FY24, making it the third-largest domestic aviation market in the world. This growth in air passenger traffic has been steady, averaging 15 per cent annually.
– Domestic air traffic is estimated to grow by six to eight per cent in the current fiscal year, reaching 161 to 164 million passengers.
– Domestic air traffic grew by 5.7 per cent in August compared to the same month last year, with a total of 1.31 crore passengers travelling, according to data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on September 13.
– According to CAPA India, global traffic is expected to grow by 9 to 11 percent by March 2025, reaching 75 to 78 million passengers.
– IndiGo currently holds a dominant share in the country’s aviation market, accounting for around 63 per cent of the total.
– The second-largest airline, Air India, is moving even faster. Soon after antitrust clearance, it intends to acquire Vistara by the end of 2025, which is currently jointly controlled by Singapore Airlines and the Tata Group.
– To expand its fleet and market share, the airline is also buying AirAsia India and integrating it with its low-cost subsidiary Air India Express.
– SpiceJet’s market share has been declining steadily; it fell from 5.6 percent in January 2023 to 2.3 percent in August this year.
– Despite the dominance of the big players, new competitors like Akasa Air and Fly91 have also joined the race.
