In the space of two decades, Gulf airlines have become essential to India's integration into international air transport. Thanks to them, business travellers can reach a dozen cities on the sub-continent.
Qatar Airways offers the most extensive network with 13 destinationsfollowed by Saudia with 10 ports of call. Emirates and Gulf Air fly towards 9 towns and Etihad around 8. Not to mention the low-cost carriers from the Gulf. All these airlines take the lion's share of international routes between India and the rest of the world.
Buying time with local Indian companies
But it is true that the Gulf carriers have until now had to contend with financially weak Indian carriers. And therefore unable to invest in their fleets. The freeze on air capacity for international airlines actually dates back to the restructuring of Air India a decade ago.
But the sale ofAir India to the wealthy private consortium Tata now gives India's national airline the means to support the competition. Air India has recently placed the largest order in its history with 470 jets.
At a recent conference, Emirates, Turkish Airlines and Kuwaiti low-cost carrier Jazeera Airways have all requested more traffic rights. over India. The Indian Minister for Civil Aviation countered this with a no reply in an interview with Reuters.
However, it has urged Indian airlines to order more wide-body aircraft to meet demand, including for domestic airlines. "It's time for our carriers to focus more on the international market. This is what we are pushing the airlines to do, and this process has already begun", Jyotiraditya Scindia told Reuters.
India, the world's hub?
Air India, IndiGo, start-up Akasa Air and Jet Airways 2.0 all report ambitious plans for international growth with the integration of new long-haul aircraft in the coming years.
According to analysts, the Indian government is thinking beyond the airlines. By seeking to recover the traffic lost to foreign carriers, it aims to position India as a hub for global air traffic.. The Minister spoke of the creation of a giant hub in the heart of the country, which would offer connections from North America and Europe to India and the rest of Asia.
The Modi government's ambition is very clear. India must be THE HUB between East and West. A position that makes sense for a country of over 1.4 billion people. But it is nevertheless tinged with a touch of nationalism...
