Air transportation in India - statistics & facts
In a densely globalized economy, air transport is a key element in India’s transport infrastructure. The Indian aviation industry has grown by leaps and bounds since the country’s first commercial airplane took flight in February 1911. The founding of Tata Airlines by J.R.D. Tata in 1932, saw the birth of the Indian aviation industry. Tata Airlines was later acquired by the government of India and was rechristened as Air India in the post-independence era. What was once a fleet of just one single-engine aircraft, grew to over 100 aircraft in 2023. Air India was sold by the government back to the Tata Group in October 2021 for nearly 2.4 billion U.S. dollars.
