Leaving on a jet plane? That used to be a dream for the
middle-class till a bunch of entrepreneurs turned it into reality. After making millions of Indians take to the skies, the aviation industry became a victim of its own meteoric rise. Many Indian airlines made expensive acquisitions, grew too fast and cut fares to win market share. Add rising fuel and interest costs to these missteps, and it’s little wonder that they’ve hit an air pocket. Will they buckle up and fly to safety? TOI-Crest finds out