The Air India disaster at Ahmedabad last week came just Continued from page 48


for local transport in England’s city regions by 2031-32. At the DfT, the government


committed to extending its Advanced Fuels Fund to support production of sustainable aviation fuel to 2029-30 – and at the DBT, £3 billion in funding for the advanced manufacturing sector includes an allocation to develop “ultra-low and zero-carbon emission aircraft”. Some documents relating to


the Spending Review have still to appear, including the promised Industrial Strategy and 10-year infrastructure plan. But while the review covers day-to-day spending for three years (to 2028-29) and capital spending for four (to 2029-30), subsequent spending reviews will take place every two years – meaning figures beyond 2027-28 could be revised. No wonder the industry


response was muted. Abta director of public affairs


Luke Petherbridge welcomed the investment in public transport, as did Advantage Travel Partnership chief Julia Lo Bue-Said, although she noted outbound travel “has once again been largely neglected” and suggested: “Government needs to acknowledge we matter.” Tourism minister Chris Bryant


did just that when he addressed Abta’s Travel Matters conference in London on the day of the Spending Review, insisting: “You’re a really important part of the UK industry. Inbound and outbound are equally important to us.” He noted: “The struggle in


the past has been getting the Treasury to understand the whole extent of the industry. I’m trying to put the whole lot together, to make a strong investment case to government and Treasury.” It appears a tall order.


India’s aviation market growing at ‘over 10%’


The fatal crash of an Air India flight to Gatwick on take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12 was the worst in India’s aviation history but came amid the rapid growth of air travel in the country. This growth was highlighted at


Iata’s annual general meeting (AGM) in New Delhi just days before the tragedy at which India’s largest and most rapidly expanding carrier IndiGo was the main sponsor. Iata director general Willie Walsh


opened the AGM by noting Indian domestic air travel growth is “running at over 10%” a year and declaring the development of India’s air connectivity “phenomenal”. He said: “India is firmly established


as the world’s fourth-largest aviation market, and within this decade will rise to the third-largest.” The AGM was addressed not


only by India’s civil aviation minister but also by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi to show the extent of government support for the sector.


‘Drones pose threat to airports and low-flying aircraft’


The rapid development of drone use in warfare poses new risks to airports and airlines, with Ukraine’s recent attack on Russian bomber aircraft demonstrating its potential. That is according to Andrew


Staples, principal at advisory firm GeoPol Asia, who told the Iata World Transport Summit in New Delhi: “The proliferation of this


46 19 JUNE 2025


Pieter Elbers


IndiGo chief executive Pieter


Elbers, who formerly ran Dutch carrier KLM, reported IndiGo has 885 aircraft on order and “will get a new plane every week for the next decade”. He declared: “This is India’s time.” The airline will commence


services to Manchester in July and announced a codeshare deal with Virgin Atlantic, Air France-KLM and Delta Air Lines ahead of the AGM. The aviation expansion has come


in lockstep with India’s economic growth, with its economy forecast to overtake Japan’s as the world’s fourth-largest this year.


technology and its low entry [point] carries significant implications. Drones can threaten airports and low-flying aircraft.” He suggested it meant “we’re in a different period”. Indrani Bagchi, chief executive


of the Ananta Centre – a New Delhi-based consultancy – agreed, saying: “A $600 drone can destroy a $600 million jet.” However, beyond the threat,


FedEx airline chief executive Richard Smith dismissed a suggestion that drones could transform airlines’ cargo business. “It’s impossible for a lightweight drone to deliver 5kg packages – 15


Passenger numbers more than


doubled to 157 million in the five years to 2019 and hit 174 million in 2024, of whom 136 million flew domestically. The number of scheduled flights rose 7% last year alone, and New Delhi is now among the world’s busiest airports, rising from 29th in 2011 to seventh in 2024. The number of airports in India


has grown from 74 to 125 in the last decade, with plans for 230 by 2030. The UK is India’s fourth-largest


international market with 2.3 million passengers last year, or 6% of traffic, behind the UAE (20%), the US and Saudi Arabia (each 9%). London is the second most-popular destination from India after Dubai, with 1.7 million passengers a year. The market is dominated by


IndiGo, with a 53% share, followed by Air India and its subsidiaries which hold 27%. But India remains a challenging market. The two largest carriers in 2010, Kingfisher Airlines and Jet Airways, both failed.


‘A $600


drone can destroy a $600m jet’


minutes out and 15 minutes back is the standard life of a battery – and they can’t fly in bad weather,” he said. Smith noted FedEx was “the first”


to use drones to deliver packages in 2019, saying: “We ended the programme. It was too costly.”


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