Dubai: Hugely optimistic about the opportunities in the Indian aviation sector, IATA Director General Willie Walsh on Monday said the right government policies can unlock the country’s potential.
In response to a query about bilateral rights between India and Dubai, Walsh also said that if India is to fulfil the ambition of its industry and to play its part for global carriers, then it’s going to need access to markets around the world.
“If you want to get access, you’re going to have to give access... that is how it works,” he said at a briefing on the sidelines of the annual general meeting of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) here.
Walsh said he is amazed and hugely optimistic about the potential of the Indian market. Way back in 2000, the Indian domestic market represented 0.4 per cent of global aviation and last year, it was 1.8 per cent, he said and added that India is growing at quite a fast pace.
“When you consider that the Chinese domestic market is 12 per cent of global aviation, you look at the potential that exists in India... India’s potential will only be unlocked if the right government policies are in place,” Walsh said. India is one of the fastest-growing civil aviation markets in the world and during the January-April 2024 period, domestic airlines in the country carried 523.46 lakh passengers. To a query at the briefing about increasing bilateral flying rights between India and Dubai, Emirates Airline President Tim Clark said these are intergovernmental issues.
Currently, Emirates along with flydubai can offer 65,000 seats on its flight between Dubai and India in each direction every week. Emirates has been seeking increased bilateral flying rights as there is high traffic between Dubai and India. The last revision of the rights was in 2015. Responding to a query on India’s aviation growth trajectory, Clark said there are 65,000 seats that can be operated between Dubai and India in each direction since 2015 and that was nine years ago.
“If you tell me that the Indian market has not grown internally, internationally, particularly between Dubai and India, well really? I can’t get that numbers. The Indian community here is huge... the business case (of increasing the bilateral rights) is staring at the Indian government in the face but as I said it is a governmental decision,” he said.
In an IATA release about IndiGo hosting next year’s annual general meeting in Delhi, Walsh said that with record aircraft orders, impressive growth, and world-class infrastructure developments, India is firmly on the trajectory to become the world’s third largest aviation market within this decade.