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Curriculum The Economics of Flying

The Economics of Flying

How India became one of the world's biggest aviation markets - IndiGo's low-cost model, why so many airlines failed, Air India's return to the Tatas, jet fuel taxes, aircraft leasing, giant plane orders, UDAN regional flights, air cargo, green fuels and maintenance.

  1. India's Aviation Boom How air travel in India grew from a luxury for a few into a mass market, making India one of the world's largest domestic aviation markets. 📄 Read-aloud
  2. How IndiGo Won the Indian Skies How IndiGo became India's dominant airline by relentlessly keeping costs low, flying on time and managing its fleet cleverly. 📄 Read-aloud
  3. Why So Many Indian Airlines Failed The stories of Kingfisher, Jet Airways and Go First, and the common reasons Indian airlines have collapsed despite booming demand. 📄 Read-aloud
  4. Air India's Return to the Tatas How the government sold loss-making Air India back to the Tata group in 2021, why the sale mattered, and the challenges of turning the airline around. 📄 Read-aloud
  5. Jet Fuel: The Biggest Cost in the Sky Why aviation turbine fuel makes up such a large share of Indian airlines' costs, how taxes on it raise fares, and the debate over bringing it under GST. 📄 Read-aloud
  6. Aircraft Leasing: Why Airlines Rent Their Planes Why most Indian airlines lease rather than own their aircraft, how the global leasing industry works, and India's efforts to build a leasing hub at GIFT City. 📄 Read-aloud
  7. The Economics of Flying: Checkpoint 1 Quick checkpoint - five questions on India's aviation boom, IndiGo, airline failures, Air India and jet fuel. 5 questions
  8. Airbus, Boeing and India's Giant Plane Orders Why two companies dominate the manufacture of large passenger jets, what India's record aircraft orders mean, and the effects of production delays. 📄 Read-aloud
  9. UDAN: Subsidising Flights to Small Cities How India's regional connectivity scheme uses subsidies and fare caps to bring flights to smaller towns, and what it has achieved. 📄 Read-aloud
  10. Air Cargo: The Other Half of Aviation What travels by air cargo, why it is expensive but essential for high-value and urgent goods, and how India is trying to grow its air freight business. 📄 Read-aloud
  11. Aviation and Climate: Green Fuels and Offsets Why flying is one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise, how sustainable aviation fuel and international carbon schemes work, and what India plans. 📄 Read-aloud
  12. Maintenance and Pilots: The Hidden Supply Chain Why aircraft maintenance and pilot training are big industries, why much of India's maintenance has been done abroad, and efforts to build these capabilities at home. 📄 Read-aloud
  13. Putting It Together: The Economics of Flying How demand, costs, competition and policy fit together in Indian aviation, what to watch in the coming decade, and a recap of the module. 📄 Read-aloud

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