The aviation industry in India has been growing exponentially over the past few years with the new reforms being introduced by the government. This industry has seen a major boom in terms of sales turnover of air service operators.

The Indian civil aviation industry took its first steps in the early 1930s, when the Tatas established Tata Airlines. The next two decades saw the entry of several private carriers. In 1953, the government chose to nationalize private carriers and set up Indian Airlines to serve the domestic market and Air India to serve the international market. The national carriers enjoyed a monopoly till 1990-91, when the Open Sky policy was implemented. With the repeal of the Air Corporation Act, several private players such as Jet Air, Sahara Airlines, Modiluft, and East West Airlines were allowed to operate commercial airlines and a new chapter in the history of Indian aviation began.

In 2003, more reforms were introduced in the aviation sector like an increase in the FDI limit to 49% from 40%, and a reduction of excise duty on aviation turbine fuel to 8% from 16%. The policy reforms and a favorable business environment attracted several more private players like Air Deccan, Spicejet, Go Airways, Indigo Airlines, etc, who were set-up to operate under a low cost model.

The Indian aviation sector is currently pegged at US$ 7.7 billion and is expected to grow four-fold to US$ 33.4 billion in the next three years. Currently, there are 0.1 million travelers using the air transport services. It is estimated that 50 million people belonging to the middle income group will use the low cost airlines in the coming years. The aviation industry is all set to conquer greater heights with many new air service operators entering this market. The government is planning to establish an independent regulatory authority, to be called Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA), to regulate tariffs in heavy-traffic sectors.

However, there are a few major challenges that may hinder the growth of the aviation industry. These include high fuel costs, high airport charges, and the high rate of failures in the airline business.

Managers in this sector would be expected to have a thorough understanding of the cost structure and to devise new ways for revenue generation. They would be required to be adept at forming alliances with tour operators, corporates, and travel agencies.

The Master of Aviation Management Program prepares students to efficiently, effectively, and professionally manage these airline companies, the number of which is ever-increasing.