India is the ninth largest civil aviation market in the world having a potential of becoming third largest aviation market by 2020.
Civil Aviation is growing at a fast pace and there has been growth not only in the domestic air travel traffic but also in the International sector as well. India recorded air traffic of 163 million passengers in 2013, of which international passengers are estimated to be 60 million.
Aviation sector in India is growing at such a pace that there is acute shortage of staff and aircrafts. It is estimated that India has about 800 aircraft and India's demand for aircraft may touch 1,740, in the next 20 years.
As airlines tickets are getting affordable more and more people are able to fly in the country. Airlines are wooing the growing middle class by offering cheap air tickets. As such there are many airlines that are operating in India.
Air India is India's national flag carrier. After merging with Indian airlines in 2011 it plays a major role in connecting India with the rest of the world.
IndiGo, Jet Airways, Air India, Spicejet and GoAir are the major carriers in order of their market share. These airlines connect more than 80 cities across India and also operate overseas routes after the liberalization of Indian aviation. Several other foreign airlines connect Indian cities with other major cities across the globe.
However, a large section of country's air transport potential remains untapped, even though the Mumbai-Delhi air corridor was ranked 10th by Amadeus in 2012 among the world's busiest routes.