Intense Market Competition Leading to Cheap Flight Tickets The story of civil aviation in India began in 1912, when the first flight started between Delhi and Karachi. This was possible only by the collaboration of Indian State Air Services, and Imperial Airways of the United Kingdom. In 1915, an entrepreneur by the name of JRD Tata started the first Indian airline, Tata Sons Ltd. to transport mails. Since then, a lot has changed and Indian aviation is currently at new heights. With around 200 million people flying to, around and out of the country in the Financial Year 2014-2015, the Indian aviation industry is one of the fastest growing in the world. Now, there exists a situation of intense competition between different Indian carriers that are battling to lure travellers by offering cheap flight tickets. While IndiGo dominates the domestic airline circuit, there are several others in the race to take this crown.
Indigo After it started its operations in 2006, it has gone on to become one of the most preferred air service providers for Indian domestic flyers. The carrier has a young fleet and currently operates with about 100 aircraft. What has helped the company is its dedication and effective planning in providing affordable, yet impressive services to its customers. Today, it is the one airline, which people look towards, to avail cheap flight tickets. The carrier currently has a market share of over 30 per cent and seems to be maintaining it well for quite some time.
SpiceJet With a strong fleet of dozens of aircraft, manufactured by Boeing and Bombardier, SpiceJet is another popular carrier in India. The company gained huge fame when it announced the sale of INR 1 tickets to customers. This low-cost carrier (LCC) is based in Gurgaon and executes over 270 flights daily. The company recently experienced a growth of around 20 per cent during the first six months of 2015.
Air India What makes Air India stand out is its fleet of wide-body aircraft like Boeing 747s, 777s and 787 Dreamliners. Further, Airbus A319s, A320s, A321s and A330s make this airline stronger. With almost one out of every five domestic flyers opting for its subsidiaries, it is among the top three LCC brands in India in terms of market share. The state-owned carrier offers cheap flight tickets to numerous domestic and international locations that can be availed via different online travel agencies (OTAs).
Jet Airways and JetLite The recently merged Jet Airways and JetLite have gone on to become the second largest air service provider in India. With mostly Boeing aircraft in its fleet of almost 120, the Jet family enjoyed a market share of about 22 per cent in 2010. The carrier is currently holding a massive sale of 30 per cent from India to international destinations. Travellers can also avail discounts of up to 15 per cent in Economy Class on select flights on Tuesdays.
GoAir GoAir is yet another major Indian LCC, providing cheap flight tickets to travellers. Having a market share of about 10 per cent, it is expected to receive about 15 new aircraft every year from 2016 to 2020. With such a steady increase in its passenger carrying capacity, GoAir may give tough competition to giants like IndiGo and Jet Airways.