A strike that failed to deliver the desired blow highlighted the desperation stalking India’s private airlines even as elsewhere, hands were clasped in diplomacy and camaraderie.

Desperate times call for large doses of diplomacy—and not necessarily a desperate urge to strike out, as private airlines in India learnt to their chagrin. The caucus of Kingfisher, Jet Airways, Indigo, SpiceJet and GoAir was forced on the backfoot in the face of the government refusing to cave in to its threat to call off operations for a day on August 18. Furious Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel warned of legal action if the Federation of Indian Airlines went ahead with the strike, which had to eventually be called off after members of the consortium developed cold feet in the face of such stiff opposition from the government and the public.

Diplomacy was also the clinching pin for issues ranging from defence to environment as India engaged in a hectic round of parleys with the US and France. So while US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton created ripples in Delhi, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, as Chief Guest at the July 14 French National Day celebrations, was seen in a warm cinch with President Nicolas Sarkozy. “The Indo-US civil nuclear deal will not be held ‘hostage’ to India signing the CTBT,” was the assurance from Clinton, whose whirlwind tour of Delhi and Mumbai left in its wake a trail of confusion and quite a few unanswered questions. In Paris, the Prime Minister enthused: “India and France enjoy a close and wide ranging strategic partnership. Our relations with France encompass a large number of areas and have served our national interests well.”

Back home, key issues of national interests apart, the aviation industry continues to grapple with its demons. To add a dash of cheer, the Cover Story pulls the proverbial rabbit from the hat to trace the advantages India’s business aviation industry stands to accrue—provided, of course, it addresses the twin obstacles of infrastructural bottlenecks and an inflexible bureaucracy. Inadequate infrastructure is, undoubtedly, the biggest bugbear. What’s paralysing is the bureaucratic mindset that’s preoccupied with scheduled services even as it views big business with suspicion. Yet, despite the prevailing economic gloom, experts are unanimous that India’s long-term growth story is intact. Once the current slowdown passes the rebound is expected to be vigorous.

Vigour would also be the key ingredient in propelling India’s ‘Mother of all defence deals’, the quest to acquire 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF). Labouring through the labyrinthine Defence Procurement Process, the exercise has completed merely three stages ever since its inception in 2001. Next is the ‘Field Trials’, scheduled for completion by March-April 2010 but likely to stretch till at least the latter half of the year. The ponderous gait is in urgent need of some momentum if the deal is to be finalised expeditiously—given the growing urgency to bridge the asymmetry between India’s military prowess visà-vis its powerful neighbour, China.

While on the topic of military acquisitions and upgrades, the spotlight is turned on the IAF’s more than three-decade-old romance with its Jaguar fleet which it intends to spruce up with fresh purchases and facelifts. Pertinently, this issue also strikes a fine balance between single-engine and twin-engine aircraft.

Which camp are you in?