With the price tags for some private jets taking a dip by as much as 35-40 per cent from what they were in 2008, buyers are beginning to scout around for purchases. A rupee that is also stronger against the US dollar now, is making things easier.

In the last issue we had just glided over the news of the T3 launch. But the sheer magnitude of the terminal is such that it takes time for even the awe to sink in. This time out the need is to be elaborate, for what you might have been reading in the general news media would have been cursory and meant for, needless to say, for people who don’t belong to the industry. SP’s Aviation always tries to fill up these information gaps, and so we have for you an elaborate article on the latest pride of India. Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport has not only signalled the landing of India on the world aviation map, it is also a clear indicator of India’s capabilities in creating world class infrastructure. And all this happened a little over three years that work started on this integrated terminal. Being counted among the world’s best gives one a different sense of pride altogether. Kudos to Delhi International Airport Limited, the joint venture company comprising the GMR Group, Airports Authority of India, Fraport, and Malaysian Airport Holdings.

The air of excitement pervading the business aircraft market, as the article presenting the big picture on the subject says, is almost palpable. The shape of the economy looks much better than what it was two years ago. This has been reflecting directly on the aviation industry. With the price tags for some private jets taking a dip by as much as 35-40 per cent from what they were in 2008, buyers are beginning to scout around for purchases. A rupee that is also stronger against the US dollar now, is making things easier. Things are only in the take-off stage now; business aviation will do so when infrastructure—airports, parking spaces, private terminals, maintenance facilities—caters to this sector. A lot of people are waiting and watching.

Not everything, however, is comfortable on our home turf. Elsewhere in this issue we look at regional aviation and how smaller towns are getting left behind in this race for communication and development. We have handled the subject earlier, but ‘Make it Viable and Profitable’ takes a hardnosed look at the subject. The article points out, “the gap between the high rate of growth of airlines and the tardy pace of development of aviation infrastructure continued to widen impinging on the boom in the airline industry. There is an imperative need to accelerate the pace of development of aviation infrastructure in order that the full capacity of aviation industry is exploited.” We have our T3, but a lot more is needed too.

Three days after the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurated T3 (on July 3), the first two-seat, fly-by-wire, trainer version of the naval light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas rolled-out marking a milestone achievement in the development programme undertaken by HAL and ADA. The Indian Navy had also played a significant role in the project through close monitoring and support. We also bring you a report on the event.

Await your comments and look forward to offering you even more exaustive inputs on the issues that concern the aviation industry.