Indian airspace buzzes with first-time flyers

Until recently, air travel across India was only for businessmen and women, foreign tourists, and visits home from the country’s vast diaspora. Fares were prohibitively expensive and the middle class travelled on the British Raj’s most visible legacy: the railways.

But a booming economy, a congested and crumbling train network and the emergence of low-cost carriers similar to Ryanair have meant a slice of Indian society taking to the skies for the first time. With half-a-dozen airlines planning to launch in the next year, fares have tumbled – and more than a third of the seats will be filled with first-time flyers.

The Guardian