This Is How International Airlines Are Planning To Spread Their Wings In India As India aims to become the third-largest air passenger market in the next ten years, by 2030, international carriers are looking to strengthen their presence in India

As air travel peaks, India is expected to overtake China and the United States as the world's third-largest air passenger market in the next ten years, by 2030, said a report by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

International carriers such as Etihad Airways, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, British airways, among others, are looking to strengthen their presence in India.

Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has strengthened its presence and has ambitious plans of expanding its India network. As the global travel market gradually recovers to pre-pandemic levels, India stands out among APAC and western countries as a remarkable source market.

"The demand for our services has been robust, resulting in significant growth in our operations. As the global travel market gradually recovers to pre-pandemic levels, India stands out as a remarkable source market. Indian travelers, beyond the major metropolitan areas, exhibit a growing appetite for luxury experiences, cultural exploration, and international destinations," said Salil Nath, general manager Indian subcontinent, Etihad Airways.

The travel demand between the UAE and India is experiencing a rapid recovery and continued growth, reflecting the strong ties and increasing connectivity between the two nations.

"In response to the dynamic market conditions, we have demonstrated remarkable agility in adding new destinations where we identify demand and untapped opportunities like in the case of Kolkata," he added.

Etihad plays a vital role in facilitating travel and trade between the UAE and India. Its network has steadily expanded, now encompassing 10 major cities, namely Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, and Kolkata. Not only urban markets, it has connected a greater number of Indian travelers, particularly from regional and smaller gateways (non-metro/Tier II), to both Abu Dhabi and Etihad's extensive global network through Air Arabia Abu Dhabi joint venture, with Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram serving as crucial entry points.

Lufthansa

European airline major Lufthansa is set to expand its operations in India by the winter schedule with the launch of flights from Munich to Bangalore and from Frankfurt to Hyderabad this year. Currently, it has daily flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich; daily flights from Bengaluru to Frankfurt and five times a week flight from Madras to Frankfurt. With the existing operations in place, the airline has 54 weekly flights which will go up to 56 flights by June 28th and more than 60 weekly flights with new operations in place.

"The Indian market is very important for the Lufthansa Group. The brand intends to make the best of India's untapped growth opportunity especially in the post-COVID era. Post pandemic It took us some time to get back into the India market and now it is great to see the phenomenal growth here," said Harry Hohmeister, member of the executive board global markets & network, Lufthansa Group.

Currently, the airline is operational in four Indian cities: Delhi, Bengaluru, Madras, Mumbai and will soon be operational in Hyderabad. Do you have plans to enter other Indian cities, maybe the eastern region ? "Immediately, we don't have plans to enter other additional cities as we are already occupied with new developments. However, maybe in the next two years we can look into it. More than the eastern regions we are keen on expanding into the western regions of India. Later, we can explore other options as well."

Turkish Airlines

IndiGo had announced the launch of codeshare flights to the United States through Istanbul in partnership with Turkish Airlines. The announcement is part of IndiGo's effort to expand international connectivity.

Turkish Airlines had recently asked the Indian government to consider increasing flights under the bilateral agreement between India and Turkey to facilitate more international flights.

"We have requested the Indian government to increase the frequency of flights between Turkey and India to allow 28 flights for Turkish carriers, from the 14 weekly flights at the moment," Turkish Airlines CEO & Board Member Bilal Eksi had earlier said.

British Airways

British Airways is mulling over an expansion in India. Its CEO Sean Doyle, spoke about the growth in air travel demand in India. While talking at PTI media roundtable Sean Doyle said that the airline is witnessing a balanced growth in India and an increase is also seen in the weekly flights from the pre-pandemic levels.

Currently, British Airways has 56 weekly frequencies connecting five Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad. This is an increase from the pre-pandemic levels when the airline operated 49 weekly flights.

"We are rebuilding and modernizing," Doyle added. British Airways has a strong 35,000 global workforce and around 2,000 employees work in India.

India's aviation market has been growing exponentially. The airport capacity is expected to handle 1 billion trips annually by 2023 and India aims to have 220 new airports by 2025, said Jyotiraditya Scindia, minister of civil aviation.The 2023 Paris Air Show witnessed a humongous fleet expansion order from Indian airlines such as Akasa Air, IndiGo, Air India.