Aviation casts a K-like shadow on the ground

There's a boom in aviation fuelled by holiday demand amid a post-pandemic roar back to the skies. But this should not overshadow India's lumbering recovery in railway traffic

- 

In the soaring air-fares encountered by would-be holidayers this summer, both demand and supply factors can be seen at play. Seat availability is held back not just by snarls left by covid in global aviation support systems and slow aircraft delivery by plane-makers, but also by domestic dynamics. Airport capacity, as in Mumbai, is under strain. With Indian skies under a near duopoly, we cannot count on rivalry to restrain fares from rising sharply in response to an upsurge in flying. This flier boom also appears to have an unusual blend of fuels, both springing from consumer behaviour. Easily identifiable is 'revenge travel,' an attempt at getting even with the pandemic lock-in.