South Asia Investor Review

Aviation market in South Asia is among the fastest growing in the world. It is soaring in terms of both domestic and international travel. Last year, the Indian commercial aviation market grew to 176 million passengers and Pakistan's reached 22 million. A total of 22 million passengers (7.2 million domestic, 14.6 million international) flew commercial airlines in Pakistan in 2016-17, up 5.11% from 20.7 million (6.95 million domestic, 13.76 million international) in 2015-16, according to Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). While  Pakistan's international aviation market  as a percentage of its population is bigger than India's, the Indian domestic market is far outpacing Pakistan's mainly due to greater competition and significantly lower airfares. Pakistan International Aviation Market in 2016-17. Data Source: CAAP International Travel:   Nearly 15 million international passengers flew in and out of  Pakistan  in fiscal year 2016-17. This number is about a...

IATA (International Air Transport Association) forecasts Pakistan domestic air travel will grow at least 9.5% per year, more than 2X faster than the world average annual growth rate of 4.1% over the next 20 years. The Indian and Brazilian domestic markets will grow at 6.9% and 5.4% respectively. Source: CAA Via Express Tribune  In a clear sign of  Pakistan's rising middle class  choosing air travel,  the number of domestic and international air travelers in Pakistan grew by 8% to 17.9 million in fiscal year 2013-14 compared to previous year, recording the fastest growth in passenger traffic in the last three years, according to data provided by the  Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)  and published by Pakistan's  Express Tribune newspaper . Growth in air travel is pushing new airport upgrades and new construction to handle more passengers. Examples of  new or upgraded airports  include Islamabad, Multan and Sialkot. Chinese domestic air ...