By Chaitali Bag
India’s civil aviation sector is poised for an exciting decade of rapid expansion and rising global significance. As the world’s third-largest domestic market, India benefits from strong demographics, growing incomes, supportive connectivity policies, and an expanding route network—factors that underpin durable, multi-decade demand. Boeing forecasts enormous fleet growth in South Asia, with India taking a large share of the more than 2,800 new deliveries expected over the next 20 years; the regional fleet could nearly quadruple by 2043. Over the next ten years, growth will be driven by a surge in single-aisle aircraft to deepen domestic and regional links, alongside notable widebody expansion as Indian carriers scale long-haul services. Network complexity and operational-efficiency initiatives will rise in parallel.
In an exclusive tete-a-tete with Indian Aerospace & Defence, Salil Gupte, President, Boeing India & South Asia, explicates Boeing’s views on India as a strategic long-term market and is intensifying its ecosystem support—investing in infrastructure, MRO capability, training and skilling, digital tools, and regulatory collaboration—to ensure safe, reliable growth. Importantly, India is evolving from a major demand center into a meaningful contributor to global engineering and manufacturing, strengthening the worldwide aerospace supply chain.
Key risks include constraints in airport and airspace capacity, shortages in trained pilots and technicians, and limited MRO and supply-chain depth. Addressing these requires coordinated government-industry action: predictable policy, streamlined regulation, early capacity planning, and investment in training and infrastructure to align capability with fleet growth. Recent record aircraft orders by Indian carriers signal strong long-term confidence; Boeing’s support extends beyond aircraft sales to enabling the operational ecosystem—providing efficient platforms like the 737 family for domestic/regional growth and larger models for long-haul expansion, plus services and partnerships that help airlines induct and operate fleets at scale.
Q. India is already the world’s third-largest domestic aviation market. How do you see the Indian civil aviation industry evolving over the next decade in terms of fleet size, traffic growth, and global influence?
A. India’s aviation growth is both compelling and structurally durable. It is underpinned by favourable demographics, rising incomes, sustained policy support for connectivity, and a rapidly expanding airline network. Boeing’s Commercial Market Outlook projects that India will account for the majority of South Asia’s 2,800-plus new airplane deliveries over the next 20 years, with the regional fleet nearly quadrupling by 2043. Over the next decade, growth will be defined not only by fleet expansion but also by increasing network complexity and a stronger focus on operational efficiency. Single-aisle airplanes will continue to dominate as airlines deepen domestic and regional connectivity, while widebody fleets are expected to expand significantly as Indian carriers scale long-haul operations.
For Boeing, this reinforces India’s role as a long-term strategic market, one we have partnered with for more than eight decades. From the outset, Boeing’s presence in India has extended beyond the delivery of airplanes to supporting the broader aviation ecosystem. That approach becomes even more important as the market enters a period of sustained growth over the next decade and beyond. Boeing continues to support India’s aviation development through investments in infrastructure, Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) capabilities, training and skilling, digital tools, and close collaboration with regulators and industry to embed global best practices. At the same time, India’s role is expanding beyond being a source of demand to becoming a meaningful contributor to global engineering and manufacturing, strengthening the global aerospace ecosystem for the long term.
Q. What are the biggest risks or bottlenecks that could slow India’s aviation growth—and how can industry and government work together to tackle them?
A. India’s aviation growth trajectory is strong, and the opportunity now is to ensure that scale is matched by readiness across the system. The focus is to ensure that capacity, capability, and coordination scale together. Priorities include continued investment in airport and airspace infrastructure, expansion of training and certification capacity for pilots and technicians and strengthening operational resilience through maintenance and supply-chain depth. Addressed in parallel, these areas help ensure that fleet growth translates into reliable, efficient operations.
This is where close collaboration between government and industry matters most. Predictable policy frameworks, efficient regulatory processes, and early engagement on capacity planning allow the industry to invest ahead of demand. With this alignment, India can sustain aviation growth while maintaining safety, quality, and operational reliability at scale.
Q. Indian airlines have placed some of the largest aircraft orders in aviation history. What does this say about long-term demand, and how is Boeing planning to support this scale of induction?
A. The scale of recent airplane orders reflects deep confidence in India’s long-term demand fundamentals and the continued expansion of air travel across domestic and international networks. It points to a multi-decade growth trajectory rather than a short-term cycle.
For Boeing, supporting this level of induction builds on more than eight decades of presence in India. From the outset, our engagement has extended beyond airplane sales to helping build the ecosystem that enables safe, reliable operations at scale. While advanced airplanes such as the 737, 787, and 777X form the foundation for our airline customers, our role goes well beyond delivery.
The 737 family offers efficiency, commonality, and operational flexibility, enabling airlines to deepen domestic and regional connectivity while managing costs at scale. The 787 Dreamliner supports long-haul expansion through fuel efficiency, right-sized capacity, and an improved passenger experience, particularly as Indian carriers expand their global networks. Over time, the 777X will support higher-density long-haul markets, providing the range and capacity required as international operations mature.
Large airplane orders succeed only when scale is supported across the value chain. Boeing’s long-term commitment to India is reflected in sustained investments beyond airplane sales, spanning engineering, manufacturing, maintenance and repair capability, parts availability and logistics, training and skilling, and close engagement with regulators and industry. Together, these investments are designed to ensure that fleet growth is matched by safety, quality, infrastructure readiness, and operational readiness at scale.
Q. With thousands of pilots, engineers, and technicians needed in the coming years, how is Boeing supporting training and skilling in India?
A. India’s advantage lies in talent at scale. The challenge is ensuring skills are built quickly and to global standards to keep pace with aviation growth. Boeing’s approach focuses on readiness, not just numbers. We are investing $100 million toward pilot training infrastructure and advanced training systems, recognising that fleet expansion must be matched by the availability of well-trained pilots and instructors. This investment supports modern simulators, training facilities, and programmes designed to maintain the highest safety and operational standards as pilot demand accelerates. Beyond flight decks, our focus extends across the broader skilling ecosystem. Through structured skilling initiatives such as the Boeing Kaushal skilling program, we are helping build industry-ready capabilities across the aerospace supply chain, from technicians to supplier workforces. At the academic level, programs including the National Aeromodelling Competition and the Boeing University Innovation Leadership Development (BUILD) initiative are engaging students and early-stage startups, encouraging innovation and practical problem-solving aligned with real-world aerospace challenges. Initiatives such as the Boeing Sukanya program further strengthen this approach by expanding pathways for women in aviation and aerospace roles. Together, these efforts are aimed at creating a deep, diverse, and globally competitive talent base – one that can consistently support safety, quality, and reliability as India’s aviation sector scales.
Q. How is Boeing working with Indian stakeholders on decarbonization, digital efficiency, and future aircraft technologies?
A. Sustainability in aviation will be driven by practical solutions and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is the most immediate lever available to reduce lifecycle emissions. Boeing’s focus in India is therefore on enabling SAF adoption through partnerships that address the entire ecosystem – from feedstock to certification and policy readiness. In this context, Boeing has partnered with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) to advance sustainable aviation fuel pathways in India. The collaboration is focused on evaluating feedstock options, supporting fuel qualification and certification processes, and helping build the technical and regulatory foundations required for SAF production and use at scale. India has strong underlying advantages, including feedstock potential, refining expertise, and a rapidly growing aviation market, but SAF adoption will require alignment across industry, energy providers, and policymakers. Our work with HPCL is aimed at accelerating that alignment, moving beyond pilots and studies toward implementation-ready pathways.
Over time, this approach can help India integrate sustainability into aviation growth in a way that is both economically viable and operationally credible. The objective is not incremental progress, but to enable SAF to become a practical component of India’s long-term aviation system.
Additionally, Boeing is focused on enabling carbon reduction through fleet modernization, operational efficiency, and airspace optimization. Tools such as Boeing’s Cascade Climate Impact Model help policymakers, airlines, and industry stakeholders evaluate different decarbonization pathways over time, balancing environmental objectives with economic realities. Boeing has also contributed to global initiatives such as the World Economic Forum’s Clean Skies for Tomorrow report, which identified the potential for India to meet a portion of its SAF requirements through domestic production by 2030 and convened a broad community of public and private stakeholders to advance this goal.
Q. Is airport expansion outpacing airspace management and ATC modernization — and how can we catch up fast?
A. Airport expansion in India has moved at an impressive pace. The priority now is ensuring that airspace design and air traffic management evolve in parallel, because capacity is ultimately constrained by how efficiently airspace is structured and managed, not just by physical infrastructure.
Boeing has been working closely with the Airports Authority of India on airspace design and flight procedure development for major greenfield airports, including Noida International Airport and Navi Mumbai International Airport. Through advanced simulation and traffic-flow analysis, these efforts focus on integrating new airports into already complex terminal airspace around Delhi and Mumbai, optimising arrival and departure procedures, and reducing congestion, fuel burn, and emissions.
The key to catching up quickly lies in scaling this approach: modernizing ATC infrastructure, accelerating controller training, optimizing airspace design around major hubs, and using data-driven tools to unlock capacity in existing airspace. Close coordination between the government, air navigation service providers, airlines, and manufacturers is essential to bring capacity online predictably.
Q. Why is Wings India 2026 such a pivotal event for global OEMs like Boeing? What key themes and conversations should industry leaders prioritize there, and how can platforms like Wings India drive policy, investment, and collaboration to shape the future of Indian aviation?
A. Wings India 2026 is particularly important because India’s aviation sector is now at a stage where coordination matters as much as capacity. Sustainable aviation growth depends on how effectively infrastructure, airspace, safety systems, workforce readiness, manufacturing, MRO, and policy frameworks work together, not in isolation. For policymakers and regulators, the value of Wings India lies in bringing these elements into a single, integrated conversation. Platforms such as this, which convene the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the Airports Authority of India, airlines, airports, OEMs, and service providers, enable early alignment on execution challenges as the system scales.
The most constructive discussions at this stage are system-level: aligning airport expansion with airspace design and ATC modernisation; embedding safety and quality consistently as fleets grow; scaling training, certification, and MRO capability in step with induction; and advancing sustainability through practical, implementable pathways. Wings India can play a catalytic role by helping translate policy intent into coordinated execution – providing clarity, predictability, and confidence for long-term investment across the value chain.
All responses are attributed to Salil Gupte, President, Boeing India & South Asia
