Leaving behind the turbulence

Airline profits can be fickle, but the ten-year lifespan of Etihad coincides with a period when the Indian aviation, despite a CAGR of over 15 per cent, has been in difficult times. The Etihad success story is a clear contrast to the way Air India and erstwhile Indian Airlines performed.

But now the overall performance of the Indian aviation sector seems to be finally picking up, with record profits at SpiceJet (Rs 102 crore) and Jet Airways (Rs 85 crore) in the quarter ended December. The numbers sort of replicated the first quarter positive performance. IndiGo has been a steady performer, while there is a whiff of a possible operational turnaround at beleaguered Air India.

Anil is a Senior Editor based in New Delhi.