Get ready to fly

More airlines are expected to enter the Indian aviation industry in near future. Consumers are going to have a lot of choices and a price war is very much on the cards as six new low budget airlines are planning to enter Indian skies.

The long list which has Jagson Airlines, King Air, Mega Airways, Indus Air and Megapode Airlines already saw Indigo making its entry on this Friday. Other five are expected to hit the runway very soon.

Analysts have predicted a rapid decline in the airfare as 200 new aircrafts will be added to the existing 250.

Aviation expert, Yashraj Tongia said that as more and more planes will be added, the fares will drop lower, which is an International phenomena. Today, nearly 80,000 seats are being offered every day by all airlines catering to the domestic sector and an equal number of seats are likely to be added in the next two years.

Co chairman, tourism committee of the Indian Merchants' Chamber,Clarence Fernandes, said that this phenomena is based on the matter of demand and supply. When supply outdistances demand, the fares are bound to collapse.

Air Deccan, the initiator in the low-cost sector, is optimistic about its future, irrespective of the rising number of players entering the field. Air Deccan, which presently offers 20,000 seats per day, is planning to increase the number by 800 seats per day every passing month, taking its fleet strength to 112 by 2012 as compared to 35 now.

Ajay Sing, the CEO of Spice Jet is equally undeterred by the rising number of planes. He said that the market is Brobdingnagian and they will only grow despite of competition.
Spice Jet, which also offers tickets at nearly 40 to 50 per cent discount, has six aircraft serving 12 sectors by operating 49 daily flights. Five more aircraft are to be added by December, which means more seats at cheap rates.

Other airlines too have increased their number of seats and decreased their fares.

With special schemes offered by the airlines, Indian Railways will have a tough time, as more people will prefer to travel by planes rather than trains.