Yunus Dar

275-foot high ATC tower in Mumbai

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released performance figures for 2018 showing that global air connectivity continues to become better and more efficient. According to the IATA World Air Transport Statistics (2019 WATS), globally, 4.4 billion passengers flew in 2018. It represented an increase of 6.9 per cent over the previous year figures. With seat capacity up to 81.9 per cent being filled, this was a record efficiency for the airlines in the said year.

IATA’s Director General and CEO said the airlines were connecting more people and places than ever before. Accessibility has increased with increase in prosperity and global living standards. The Asia-Pacific carried the largest number of passengers worldwide as aviation markets in India and China continue to grow. Air travel demand, according to industry estimates, is slated to double by 2037, with China, US and India leading the way. The emerging and developing economies will account for about 60 per cent of all passenger traffic by 2040, according to estimates. The data from IATA indicates a geographical reshuffling of world air traffic to the East, on the back of robust economic growth in the Asian countries. India itself is slated to take the third place after the US, surpassing the UK by 2024.

Notwithstanding severe infrastructure constraints, the air traffic continues to grow in India exponentially. The current rate of growth and modernisation of the airports will not be sufficient to meet the upcoming demand, something the industry analysts anonymously agree upon. More than other infrastructure, the upgradation and modernisation of Air Traffic Management (ATM) will be crucial for India if it plans to capitalise on the booming aviation industry. The government of India has over the years taken many steps to modernise the ATM infrastructure in the co