The Economic Survey for 2022-23 tabled in Parliament on Tuesday said the Indian aviation sector reached the average pre-Covid level in December 2022. The Survey reviews how the economy performed in this fiscal year and the road ahead for the next year.
The total number of passengers carried in December 2022 stood at 150.1 lakh, which was 6.4 per cent higher than the pre-Covid average for 11 months from April 2019 to February 2020, the Survey said. In November 2022, total air cargo tonnage stood at 2.5 lakh tonnes, which was 89 percent of the pre-Covid levels.
The Survey said the civil aviation market has great potential due to the growing demand from the middle class, growth in population and tourism. It added that higher disposable incomes, favourable demographics, and greater penetration of aviation infrastructure will help grow the market in India.
The Economic Survey for 2022-23, listed various factors that are helping the civil aviation sector, including the UDAN scheme, which has considerably enhanced regional connectivity through the opening of airports in the hinterland.
Under the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme, which is aimed to facilitate/ stimulate regional air connectivity by making it affordable, the total number of tourism routes has increased to 59 and presently, 51 are operational.
"The civil aviation sector in India has great potential owing to growing demand from the middle class, growth in population and tourism, higher disposable incomes, favourable demographics, and greater penetration of aviation infrastructure," the survey said. With the containment of COVID-19 infections and the lifting of travel restrictions worldwide, the survey said, air travel has rebounded.