GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd. (GHIAL), led by GMR Group, said acquisition of Air India (AI) by the Tatas not only brought in the much-needed “financial strength to the airline but also for the entire aviation industry” on Wednesday. “Hyderabad Airport could become a major travel hub for people travelling from Southern and Central India as it expedites the expansion momentum and open doors for aviation businesses,” said an official spokesperson.
Welcoming the Tatas’ takeover of AI, the spokesperson said both GHIAL and AI enjoyed a ‘strong relationship’ and would be working in more closely to maximise the potential of cooperation. AI had recently launched two new non-stop international flights including one to Chicago in the United States followed by another maiden flight to Heathrow in London.
The airport here had a huge number of people travelling every year to and from US, Europe, Australia and Southeast Asia. Therefore, AI with its combination of wide body and narrow body aircraft mix would have extensive opportunity to connect multiple destinations as it had prime slots at most airports.
Two hours’ flying time connectivity to all Indian cities, four hours’ connectivity to South Asia, Southeast and Middle East regions were obvious advantages. For international routes especially to US, there was a catchment for additional 2.18 lakh passengers annually or 300 per day each way from the current over 1,000 passengers and 7.41 lakh.
Air route to Australia was no less lucrative with about 1.26 lakh passengers annually or 175 passengers per day each way with 14% growth. Additionally, there 80,000 annual passengers from Hyderabad catchment of south and central India to Australia or about 110 passengers a day. Europe-Hyderabad saw 3.96 lakh with 550 passengers each day and another 2.10 lakh from the catchment area.
AI had an opportunity to explore the ‘unserved’ markets with potential for non-stop flights from here to Dhaka, Kathmandu, Nairobi, Bali, Ho Chi Minh City, Phuket, Turkey, Guangzhou, Tashkent, Almaty etc., with the current expansion plans under way to cater to the rising demand, said a press release.
