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Air Transportation
Air transport is the fastest means of movement from one place to the other.
It has reduced distances by minimising the travel time. Air transport in India
made a beginning in 1911 when airmail operation commenced over a little
distance of 10 km between Allahabad and Naini. But its real development
took place in post-Independent period. The Airport Authority of India is
responsible for providing safe, efficient air traffic and aeronautical
communication services in the Indian Air Space.

JAGRAN JOSH

CREATED ON: NOV 28, 2015 15:27 IST

Air transport is the fastest means of movement from one place to the other.
It has reduced distances by minimising the travel time. It is very essential
for a vast country like India, where distances are large and the terrain and
climatic conditions are diverse. Air transport in India made a beginning in
1911 when airmail operation commenced over a little distance of 10 km
between Allahabad and Naini. But its real development took place in post-
Independent period. The Airport Authority of India is responsible for
providing safe, efficient air traffic and aeronautical communication services
in the Indian Air Space. The authority manages 125 airports. The air
transport in India is managed by two corporations, Air India and Indian
Airlines after nationalisation. Now many private companies have also started
passenger services.

While there are 346[131] civilian airfields in India – 253 with paved runways and 93 with
unpaved runways, only 132 were classified as "airports" as of November 2014. [132] Of
these, Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi is the busiest in the country.[133][134]
[135]
 The operations of the major airports in India have been privatised over the past five
years and this has resulted in better equipped and cleaner airports. The terminals have
either been refurbished or expanded.
India also has 33 "ghost airports," which were built in an effort to make air travel more
accessible for those in remote regions but are now non-operational due to a lack of
demand. The Jaisalmer Airport in Rajasthan, for example, was completed in 2013 and
was expected to host 300,000 passengers a year but has yet to see any commercial
flights take off. Despite the number of non-operational airports, India is currently
planning on constructing another 200 "low-cost" airports over the next 20 years.

While there are 346[131] civilian airfields in India – 253 with paved runways and 93 with
unpaved runways, only 132 were classified as "airports" as of November 2014. [132] Of
these, Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi is the busiest in the country.[133][134]
[135]
 The operations of the major airports in India have been privatised over the past five
years and this has resulted in better equipped and cleaner airports. The terminals have
either been refurbished or expanded.
India also has 33 "ghost airports," which were built in an effort to make air travel more
accessible for those in remote regions but are now non-operational due to a lack of
demand. The Jaisalmer Airport in Rajasthan, for example, was completed in 2013 and
was expected to host 300,000 passengers a year but has yet to see any commercial
flights take off. Despite the number of non-operational airports, India is currently
planning on constructing another 200 "low-cost" airports over the next 20 years.