Air Transportation

Any country with a densely globalised economy depends a lot on its transport infrastructure, especially air transportation. The aviation industry in India had grown leaps and bounds and has come a long way since its establishment in 1911, when the first airplane flew in February 1911. J.R.D Tata set up the first airline in 1932, which was then called Tata Airlines. The government of India later acquired Tata Airlines and was called Air India after Indian Independence. Back then, it was a fleet of just a single-engine aircraft which in 2020 is a fleet of more than a hundred aircraft.

India is moving forward in the aviation field at a breakneck pace and is set to become the 3rd largest civil aviation hub in the world by 2024. In this article, you would learn about different types of air transportation, cargo for shipping, cargo freight difference, the purpose of air India air transport services limited, and details about Air India transport.

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Air transportation services are enablers for achieving development and economic growth. With the help of air transport, a country can get integrated into the global economy and provide critical connectivity at all levels (national, regional, and international). Air transport creates job opportunities, generates trade, and promotes tourism. The world bank has been financing projects related to aviation for the last sixty years. In today's age, WBG is constantly engaged with all projects in every region that involve air transport policy and regulation, capacity building, rehabilitation of infrastructure, etc. We have catalogued some of the features of airways and air transport corporations in India:

• Airways have a vital role in modern transportation as they are essential for the growth of commerce and trade.

• The most unique and beneficial feature of air transport is its rapid speed. Most aircraft can fly at high speednationalised of 500 km/hour without any issues. Some planes can even fly at supersonic speeds. No other transportation types can match this speed.

• India has a 9th position in the world in the civil aviation market.

• Since India is a large country, its vast size makes air transport more significant and indispensable. With its diverse terrain and climatic conditions, India has a substantial need for the aviation sector.

• Aircraft have easy access to all the places and have no physical barriers, unlike other modes of transport. We can easily access even inaccessible locations like Rajasthan deserts, Leh high altitudes, and dense forest regions of East India through air transports.

• Air transports are also valuable during emergencies and natural calamities like droughts, floods, earthquakes, epidemics, wars, etc.

• The cargo shipping system is based primarily on the aviation industry.

• Air transport also stands as an index of modernity of any region.

• The aviation sector is responsible for 7 million employment either directly or indirectly. 

• Due to air transport, tourism gets a boom, and in turn, basic infrastructure like roads and transportations also improve to cater to the needs of tourism.

History of Air Transport in India

• India had a humble beginning in air transportation in 1911 when the airmail travelled 10 kilometres between Naini and Allahabad. 

• Indian National Airways was created in 1933, which started air services between Lahore and Karachi. 

• Towards the end of World War II, many major cities, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Karachi, Lahore, and Kolkata, were provided with air transport services.

• In 1947, at the India-Pakistan partition time, four companies provided air transport; Indian National Airways, Air India (Tata Sons Ltd.), Deccan Airways, and Air Services of India.

• By 1951, four more companies were added to Kalinga Airlines, Bharat Airways, Airways India, and Himalayan Aviation Ltd. 

• The air transportation system was nationalized in 1953, giving rise to two air transport corporations in India; Indian Airlines (for domestic services) and Air India International (for international services).

• To augment air transport in India, Vayudoot was set up in 1981.

• In 1985 Pawan Hans Ltd. was set up to provide helicopter services. It catered to the Petroleum sector, including Enron Oil and Gas, ONGC, and Oil of India Ltd. It also connected inaccessible or remote areas.

• AAI (Airports Authority of India) was created in 1995 by merging the National Airports Authority and the International Airports Authority of India. AAI is responsible for providing efficient and safe aeronautical communication and air traffic services to control air traffic in Indian air space effectively.

• In today's time, many private companies like Jet Airways, SpiceJet, Indigo, etc., have come up with quality services. They are now a part of IATA aviation. 

Types Of Air Transportation

There are several different types of air transportation available both privately and commercially. Some of these air transportations have taken years and even centuries to come to the current stage and meet modern humans' needs. Each type is unique in their travel speed, how they achieve the flight and the sustainability of their travel in the air. They also differ in how they are used; some are used as cargo for shipping, some for tourism, etc.

• Airplanes - They are also referred to as airplanes, aircraft, or just planes. It is a fixed-winged and powered aircraft. It is the most popular form of air transportation and is distinct from other air transports as they achieve their lift through a forward motion. An airplane uses propellers, jet engines, or rocket engines to fly through the air. Planes come in different wing configurations, different sizes and are used for other purposes. An onboard pilot or a group of pilots runs the airplane by using automated technologies. It was the Wright brothers who flew the first airplane in 1903.

• Helicopters - After airplanes were successful with their fixed-winged structure, technicians and engineers researched to make planes faster and more efficient. Their main aim was to create a vehicle that could fly from a sitting position to carry people around. Helicopters are rotorcraft, i.e., they are propelled by horizontal rotors that have two or more blades. These horizontal rotors provide lift and thrust actions through spinning motion, which lets helicopters take off vertically, hover, land vertically, fly forward, laterally, and backward. It was in 1936 that the first helicopter was made. The main advantage of aircraft is that the concerned person can use them in congested areas where airplanes with their fixed wings would not work.

• Hot Air Balloons - Hot air balloons were the first successful air transportation that could carry humans. In the 1700s Montgolfier brothers first developed a giant balloon or bag that could hold hot air. A hot air balloon weighs less than air and has a large bag called an envelope filled with heated air with a gondola (wicked basket) suspended below it. The gondola carries both the passengers as well as the source of heat with it. Hot air balloons are used mainly for tourism.

• Blimps were created by the end of the 19th century and are an offshoot of hot air balloons. Blimps have hot air and huge fans attached to the gondola, which is used for floating. This technology became a cost-effective way to travel and also advertise. Military forces like the US Navy also used them.

Cargo Freight - Similarities and Differences

Cargo and freight might share a few everyday things, but their meanings are quite different. Those just starting with import and export of goods might have a blurry idea about these two terms. But one needs to understand that cargo for shipping and freight for shipping are two different modes of the same type of service, i.e., transportation of goods.

• Freight - Freight refers mainly to the transfer of goods by using trucks or trains as transport. That is where the terms "freight truck" and "freight trains" came from. However, the word "air freight" is also quite accepted now. The acceptance is because freight is a term used even for payments for the goods transported. The term "Freight" is also used to denote cargo being transported via train, plane, truck, or ship. So we see here that the word freight can mean many things; it could be the product, amount payable, merchandise, money charged, etc. The term "Cargo freight" denotes cargo being transported and the money being charged for the transport. 

• Cargo for shipping via plane or ship - The term cargo stands for shipment via plane or ship. We have two different cargos; cargo ships and airplane cargos. In most cases, the term "cargo" does not include payment for the transport of goods. The cargo goods are generally transported inside large cargo containers, in cargo handling nets, or on pallets.

• Difference between Cargo and Freight - The main difference is that freight could describe the goods and the fees charged by the transport carriers, whereas cargo only denotes goods and not money.