New Delhi, July 22: India is placed at seventh position amongst 15 Asian countries in terms of future growth in air travel, with air traffic to and from the country slated to grow at 7.2 per cent annually till the year 2010.

This increase in air traffic is much lower than the growth forecast for other emerging Asian economies, including China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.

These trends are highlighted in a report prepared by the Geneva-based Air Transport Action Group (Atag) on the future of the aviation industry in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Atag is a global representative organisation for the air transport industry. Its world-wide membership includes airlines, airports, air traffic control authorities, investment organisations and travel associations.

India rates the lowest amongst these Asian countries if the air traffic increase in the 10- year period 1985-95 is considered.Its elevation to seventh position for the period 1995-2010 is heartening as air traffic growth is treated as an indicator of economic prosperity.

The country which is expected to show maximum growth in air travel is Vietnam, which tops the graph with 14.8 per cent growth in the first decade of the next millenium.

Vietnam is followed by China, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and Korea. The air travel market of all these countries is expected to outstrip India.In terms of absolute numbers, the Atag has forecast that total passengers to and from India will be 60.4 million in 2010. Of this, domestic air passengers will be 38.3 million, while international air travellers are slated to be around 22.1 million.

This implies that the country will have to handle an extra 39 million passengers as compared to the year 1995.

The country which is expected to achieve the largest increase in air traffic is, expectedly, China. China will have 230 million additional air passengers in 2010 over its 1995 level. The Atag has forecast that the demand for air travel in the Asia-Pacific region will continue to grow faster than in any other region with 1.1 billion passengers travelling to, from and within the region by 2010. This is almost equivalent to the worldwide passenger traffic total for 1995.

This region's share of worldwide scheduled passenger traffic (domestic and international combined) increased from 16.5 per cent in 1985 to 29.9 per cent in 1995 and is forecast to reach 42.9 per cent by 2010.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.