The Aviation India and South Asia Exhibition & Summit 2026, taking place November 3-4 at the JW Marriott Hotel in Aerocity, brings airlines, airport operators, manufacturers, maintenance providers and policymakers together as the sector enters a demanding new phase. The agenda spans airline strategy, airport investment, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), workforce training, manufacturing and decarbonisation.
The opportunity is substantial, but recent figures underline that expansion is not a straight line. India’s overall air passenger traffic reached 420 million in fiscal 2026, up 2% from the previous year. ICRA expects growth to moderate to 1-3% in FY2027, putting traffic at an estimated 424-432 million. Elevated aviation fuel prices, aircraft supply constraints and geopolitical disruption are among the risks cited by the ratings agency.
Airline capacity data also show a mixed picture. Scheduled capacity in October totalled 25.4 million seats, down 1.7% year on year, according to OAG. IndiGo accounted for 51% of capacity, while Air India’s capacity fell 12.6%. Akasa Air was an exception to the wider retrenchment, increasing capacity by 35.6%. The figures highlight how investment ambitions must contend with aircraft availability, operating costs and differing airline strategies.
Infrastructure remains a major part of the response. ICRA estimates airport investment could exceed ₹1 lakh crore over the next four to five years, covering new airports, expansions and other facilities. The government is also preparing a new airport concession round: bidding for 11 Airports Authority of India airports is expected to begin by December, with the facilities grouped into five bundles under proposed 50-year leases. Pairing larger airports with smaller ones is intended to attract investment across the network, though the structure and safeguards will matter to prospective bidders and passengers alike.
The summit’s broader case is that physical expansion alone will not secure the industry’s future. India’s growing fleet requires domestic engineering and MRO capacity, alongside trained pilots, technicians and other aviation professionals. A stronger local supply chain could reduce dependence on overseas maintenance and support the country’s ambitions in aerospace manufacturing. Those capabilities will take investment, regulatory consistency and sustained collaboration between operators, suppliers, training institutions and government.
Sustainability adds another test. An October report by ICF, cited in the summit coverage, projects passenger departures from India rising from about 244 million in 2025 to more than 330 million by the early 2030s. It estimates India’s participation in the international aviation emissions framework CORSIA could add about 140 million tonnes of CO₂ to cumulative global offsetting obligations from 2027 to 2035. The report also discusses a planned 1% sustainable aviation fuel blending requirement for international flights from January 2027, with indicative targets of 2% in 2028 and 5% in 2030. Meeting those targets will depend on reliable fuel supply, production investment and viable distribution.
That convergence, capacity, capability and climate, gives the gathering its significance. India’s aviation market can continue to expand, but growth will be measured not only by passenger numbers or new terminals. Reliability, affordability, safety, domestic technical expertise and emissions performance will shape whether expansion delivers lasting economic value.
For summit participants, the practical question is how to coordinate those priorities while demand grows and constraints persist. The discussions in New Delhi are therefore less about celebrating a boom than defining what must be built around it: an aviation ecosystem capable of supporting more passengers without leaving skills, maintenance, regional connectivity or sustainability behind.
