Air and water transport In India Kamal singh Lecturer in Economics GCCBA-42, Chandigarh

India has an extensive network of inland waterways in the form of rivers, canals, backwaters and creeks. The total navigable length is 14,500 kilometres (9,000 mi), out of which about 5,200 km (3,231 mi) of river and 485 km (301 mi) of canals can be used by mechanised crafts.

Freight transport by waterways is highly underutilised in India compared to other large countries. The total cargo moved by inland waterways is just 0.15% of the total inland traffic in India, compared to the corresponding figures of 20% for Germany and 32% for Bangladesh

Problem of Water Transports Inadequate Capacity Inefficient performance of Indian Ports Paucity of Funds Working age of ships Under developed container system More operating cost Competition with foreign countries

Air Transport Rapid economic growth in India has made air travel more affordable. Air India, India's flag carrier, presently operates a fleet of 159 aircraft and plays a major role in connecting India with the rest of the world. [ Several other foreign airlines connect Indian cities with other major cities across the globe.Air Indiaairlines Kingfisher Airlines, Air India and Jet Airways are the most popular brands in domestic air travel in order of their market share.These airlines connect more than 80 cities across India and also operate overseas routes after the liberalisation of Indian aviation. However, a large section of country's air transport system remains untapped, even though the Mumbai-Delhi air corridor was ranked 6th by the Official Airline Guide in 2007 among the world's busiest routes. Kingfisher AirlinesAir IndiaJet AirwaysMumbaiDelhi Official Airline Guide

India's vast unutilised air transport network has attracted several investments in the Indian air industry in the past few years. More than half a dozen low-cost carriers entered the Indian market in Major new entrants include Air Deccan, Kingfisher Airlines, SpiceJet, GoAir, Paramount Airways and IndiGo Airlines. To meet India's rapidly increasing demand for air travel, Air India recently placed orders for more than 68 jets from Boeing for US$7.5 billion while Indian placed orders for 43 jets from Airbus for US$2.5 billionBoeingIndianAirbus

Main airline services in India Air India Indian Airlines National aviation Company of India Pawan hans Air Indian Express Private Airlines

There are more than 335 (2008 est.)civilian airports in India with paved runways and 96 with unpaved runways and more than 20 international airports in the Republic of India. The Indira Gandhi International Airport and the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport handle more than half of the air traffic in South Asia

Air port Authority of India The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is an organization working under the Ministry of Civil Aviation\ that manages all the airports in India. The AAI manages and operates 126 airports including 16 international airports 89 domestic airports and 26 civil enclaves. The corporate headquarters(CHQ) are at Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan, Safdarjung Airport, New Delhi

New Liberalized Policy for Air Transport 1979 Open ski policy Denationalization of air transport in 1994 Modernization of Indian Airports Mergers of Air India and Indian Airlines in 2007 and formation of Air India and Mascot “Maharaja” Airport Economic Regulatory Act 2008