India emerges as World’s 5th Biggest Aviation Market

Context: India has emerged as the world’s fifth-largest aviation market in 2024, according to the latest World Air Transport Statistics (WATS) released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

India’s Aviation Market: Key Highlights (2024)

• Global Ranking: India is now the 5th largest aviation market globally with 241 million total passengers, surpassing Japan (205 million).
• Top 5 aviation markets: USA, China, UK, Spain & India
• Passenger Traffic & Growth: Domestic passengers: 211 million, marking a 11.1% increase over 2023.
  • Indicates strong recovery, rising domestic connectivity, and high travel demand.
• Busiest Air Routes: Mumbai–Delhi is the 7th busiest airport pair globally with 5.9 million passengers.
  • Jeju–Seoul (South Korea) is the world’s busiest route with 13.2 million passengers.
  • Asia-Pacific dominated the top 10 busiest routes; only Jeddah–Riyadh featured from outside the region.
• Class-wise Passenger Trends: Premium international travel (business + first class) grew 11.8% Year-on-Year to 116.9 million passengers.
  • Asia-Pacific led with 22.8% growth in premium passengers.
  • Economy class outpaced premium with 28.6% growth.
  • Europe had the largest premium market (39.3 million); the Middle East had the highest premium share (14.7%).
• Structural and Policy Drivers of Growth:
  • Government Initiatives: Flagship schemes like UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) and the National Civil Aviation Policy are enhancing regional connectivity to Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.
    • UDAN , launched in 2016 by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, aims to make air travel affordable and boost regional connectivity. Implemented via Public-Private-Partnership with Viability Gap Funding (VGF).
  • FDI & Investment Climate: 100% FDI allowed under the automatic route for greenfield airports, attracting global investors.
  • Infrastructure Expansion: Sharp rise in operational airports.
  • Major greenfield airport projects like Noida and Navi Mumbai under implementation.
  • Continued modernisation of hubs to meet rising demand.
  • Fleet & Aircraft Usage: Massive aircraft orders by Indian airlines signal confidence in long-term growth.
    • Most used aircraft globally: Boeing 737, Airbus A320 & Airbus A321

About International Air Transport Association (IATA)

• A global trade association for the airline industry. It represents, leads, and serves the airline industry by promoting cooperation among airlines, developing standards, and advocating for the industry’s interests.
• Established: 1945, in Havana, Cuba
• Headquarters: Montreal, Canada

Africa’s Climate Adaptation

Context: Namibia, one of sub-Saharan Africa’s driest nations, is combating drought and desertification through local innovation, renewable energy, and climate-resilient practices.

Mitigation & Renewable Energy

• Namibia aims to reduce emissions by 91% by 2030 (Nationally Determined Contributions).
• Investment is growing in solar and wind energy, supported by the National Policy on Renewable Energy.
• A National Carbon Market Framework was launched in 2023 to regulate carbon credits and finance green development.

Policies & Strategies

• National Committee on Climate Change (2001) and National Policy on Climate Change (2011) guide adaptation and mitigation.
• Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (2013–2030) focuses on:
  • Food security and sustainable agriculture
  • Water conservation and rainwater harvesting
  • Biological resource management
  • Climate-smart farming practices

Local Initiatives

• Farmers adopt drought-resistant crops, drip irrigation, and organic fertilisers.
• Communities receive training in sustainable farming.
• Environmental Investment Fund (EIF), accredited to the Green Climate Fund, has mobilised significant climate financing.
• Namibia participates in the Great Green Wall Initiative and AFRI100 to restore degraded land.
• Promotes rotational grazing and planting of indigenous trees to combat desertification.

Great Green Wall Initiative 

• The Great Green Wall is an African-led initiative launched in 2007 to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land across the Sahel region by 2030. 
• Stretching 8,000 km across 22 countries, it aims to combat desertification.

African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100)

• The African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100) is a country-led effort to bring 100 million hectares of these deforested and degraded landscapes across Africa into restoration by 2030.

Global AI City Index

Context: According to the ‘2025 AI City Index’ by Counterpoint Research, Bengaluru has been ranked 26th globally and identified as India’s top AI R&D and data centre hub.

About the Index

• The Index evaluates the top 100 global metropolitan areas on their adoption and deployment of artificial intelligence.
• Evaluation Criteria:
  • Over 5,000 AI initiatives (public + private sector)
  • Communications infrastructure strength
  • Data center and supercomputing developments
  • University R&D output
  • Startup ecosystem strength
• Top 5 AI Cities: 
  • Singapore
  • Seoul
  • Beijing
  • Dubai
  • San Francisco

India’s Performance in the AI City Index

• Bengaluru: Ranked 26th globally, making it India’s top AI city.
  • Identified as a major global hub for AI R&D and data centers.
• Other Indian Cities:
  • Mumbai and Delhi: Known for innovative AI use in traffic management and public security.
  • Chennai and Kolkata: Also featured in the national top five.
• Challenges: Need for a comprehensive roadmap and strong regulatory frameworks to maximize AI potential in Indian urban centers.

Fastest Growing AI Cities

• Bengaluru (India), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Hangzhou (China), São Paulo (Brazil)

Philippines, India Hold First Joint Sail in South China Sea

Context: For the first time, Indian and Philippine navies conducted joint sailing in the South China Sea within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), aimed at countering China’s maritime claims. 

About South China Sea

• Located south of mainland China, part of the western Pacific Ocean.
• Bordered by: Brunei, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam
• Geopolitical Importance: 
  • China’s Nine-Dash Line: Claims ~90% of the sea
  • China seeks to control all military/economic operations within the claimed region, citing EEZ rights.
• Strategic Importance:
  • Fishing Grounds: Rich biodiversity; over 50% of global fishing vessels operate here.
  • Global Trade Route: Carries 21% of global trade (UNCTAD estimate)
  • Natural Resources: Oil Reserves: ~11 billion barrels

About Philippines

• An island country in Southeast Asia, located in the western Pacific Ocean.
• An archipelago of over 7,600 islands.
• Maritime Bordering Countries
  • North: Taiwan
  • Northeast: Japan
  • East & Southeast: Palau
  • South: Indonesia
  • Southwest: Malaysia
  • West: Vietnam
  • Northwest: China
• Surrounding Water Bodies
  • East – Philippine Sea
  • South – Celebes Sea
  • Southwest – Sulu Sea
  • West & North – South China Sea
  • North – The Luzon Strait
    • The Luzon Strait separates Philippines from Taiwan

Geographical Features

• Highest Point: Mount Apo (2,954 m) located on Mindanao Island
• Major Rivers:  Cagayan River (Longest river), Agno River, Mindanao River, Agusan River
• Climate: Tropical and monsoonal.

Shibu Soren

Context: Recently, the Indian Prime Minister paid homage to Shri Shibu Soren. 

About Shibu Soren 

• Born: January 11, 1944, near Ramgarh, Jharkhand
• Also Known As: Dishom Guruji (Guru of the Land)
• Belongs to: Santhal Adivasi Community
• Role: Tribal rights activist and political leader

Social Activism

• Dhankatni Andolan (1960s): Led protests against moneylenders who exploited tribal farmers (took 2/3rd of the produce); Mobilised tribals on a motorbike across villages.
  • His leadership during this period earned him the title ‘Dishom Guru’-Guru of all ten directions-a symbol of reverence from the Santhal community.
• Raised voice against feudal systems, land alienation, and social injustice

Political Journey

• Co-founded Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) in 1973 to demand a separate tribal state from Bihar
• Became President of JMM in 1987; held the post for nearly 38 years
• Instrumental in the creation of Jharkhand state in 2000
• Elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 1980
• Served multiple terms in Parliament and as Chief Minister of Jharkhand

Legacy

• Symbol of tribal empowerment and land rights movement
• Respected for grassroots leadership and advocacy for the marginalised.

Agnishodh

Context: Recently, the Indian Army has inaugurated the ‘Agnishodh’ research cell at IIT Madras to advance self-reliance in defence technology, in alignment with India’s defence modernization strategy.

About Agnishodh Research Cell:

• • Part of the Indian Army’s Five Pillars of Transformation framework.

• Technology absorption, Structural changes, Human resource development and Increasing cohesion between the three services.

• Purpose: Convert academic excellence into battlefield innovation.
• Collaborations:
  • IIT Madras Research Park, Advanced Manufacturing Technology Development Centre (AMTDC), and Pravartak Technologies Foundation.
  • Partnerships with national tech missions: INDIAai, Chip-to-Startup, Project QuILA.
• Focus Areas:
  • Transforming lab-scale innovations into deployable defence technologies.
  • Upskilling military personnel in emerging domains: 
    • Additive Manufacturing
    • Cybersecurity
    • Quantum Computing
    • Wireless Communication
    • Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)

India Electric Mobility Index (IEMI)

Context

Recently NITI Aayog launched the India Electric Mobility Index (IEMI) to benchmark States/UTs’ progress in electric mobility transition.

About India Electric Mobility Index (IEMI)

• A first-of-its-kind tool to comprehensively evaluate and score States and Union Territories on their electric vehicles (EV) transition progress.
• Developed by:  NITI Aayog
• Aim: To promote transparency, foster healthy competition, and enable knowledge sharing among states.

Key Features of IEMI

• • Tracks 16 indicators across the three themes, providing a score out of 100 for each state/UT.
    • Delhi, Maharashtra and Chandigarh have topped NITI Aayog’s inaugural IEMI 2024, emerging as frontrunners in the country’s transition to EV.

• Core Themes

• • Transport Electrification Progress: Measures EV demand-side adoption through EV registrations and growth in vehicle segments.
  • Charging Infrastructure Readiness: Assesses availability and expansion of public and private charging stations.
  • EV Research and Innovation Status: Evaluates supply-side efforts in R&D, manufacturing capacity, and policy incentives to strengthen the EV ecosystem.
• It offers a comparative framework to identify high performers and lagging regions accompanied by an interactive dashboard for real-time monitoring.

Significance of the Index

• It will serve as a guiding tool to design tailored policies for state-specific needs.
• Instrumental in  achieving India’s target of 30% EV penetration by 2030 and net-zero by 2070.
• Promotes integrated planning, cross-sectoral collaboration, and equitable access to e-mobility benefits.

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