The aviation sector of the country with only 400 aircraft in 2014 has now expanded to almost 644 aircraft, Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia informed the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
“Our fleet of aircraft is expanding at a very rapid pace, going up from 626 last year to 644,” he said.
“As on March 2024, with the fleet induction of almost two to five aircraft per month, our number will increase to 686,” he said.
The civil aviation minister said the number of aircraft on the ground roughly stands at 140 from the point of view of the scheduled commercial airlines.
“Ninety-five per cent of the Aircraft on Ground today in India are in their current position due to engine supplier Pratt & Whitney facing supply chain issues,” he said.
“We have been in direct touch with Pratt & Whitney and conveyed them that this situation is unacceptable because air traffic in India is growing exponentially,” Scindia added.
Aircraft on ground or AOG is a term in aviation maintenance indicating that a problem is serious enough to prevent an aircraft from flying.