As one of the 10 future cities of India, Pune will hopefully have its own state-ofthe-art civil airfield at Chakan in the not too distant future.

The other day at Lohegaon Airport, waiting for my flight to Delhi, I glanced out from the departure lounge to catch the heart warming sight of a pair of Su-30s thundering down the runway before gracefully soaring into the blue yonder. My flight— the aircraft was to arrive from Delhi and return after a short halt—had been delayed either due to congestion at Delhi’s Palam Airport or non-availability of parking bay at Pune.

During service, and especially in the last few years in senior management positions, I had engaged in frequent dialogues on synergy between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and civil aviation. Two areas of focus were the use of military airfields by civil air operators and air space management.

Handsome economic growth in the last five years has fuelled a boom in airline operations. From only four major airlines operating on the domestic routes in 2003, the figure had peaked to 11. However, post consolidation, there are now seven entities. The fleet size has gone up threefold in this period, and by the end of 2008, the airliner holdings are expected to grow to almost 400. In the ensuing years, despite rising aviation fuel prices, the growth in this sector is likely to continue. It may be tempered but still quite impressive, as many other sectors of our economy become more vibrant. This will not only see an increase in the number of flights operating on international routes but also in domestic travel reaching out to newer destinations for business and tourism. There is also talk of international medical tourism for cost effective and caring treatment in India.