Amazing change in the last 10 years!!
If you wanted to get a first hand idea of how the middle class has prospered in India in the last decade or so, all you have to do is go to the domestic airports.
It is 3:30 AM now in Delhi!! And I am not even in the bigger international (and domestic) airport. I am in the old airport now that is dedicated to cheaper domestic airlines. The boarding gates are teeming with people. Not a single chair is empty. People are standing and even sitting on the staircase. Very orderly though. And I could take a picture of only half the side from the top of the escalator.
Infrastructure development at the airports have been very impressive too. Most are of international standards now with fairly efficient service and by my experience, very pleasant and helpful staff.
Wow.
When are you to reach Kalyani ?
About 10am, I am estimating.
Impressive progress indeed. But this is not the middle class by world standard definition. May be madhyabitto as we say which excludes the vast majority. I read somewhere that less than 5% of Indians have ever been on a plane! It’s the same 50-60 million people out of over 1 billion. But tremendous growth opportunity because perhaps 10 million will be added next year.
Indigo with 100 plus aircrafts and Spicejet have Delhi as their home base and operate their domestic services from this terminal. The maximum crowd at security point here in the days is between 4.30 snd 6.30 am
Everyone was traveling for Diwali…
Welcome ! Happy Diwali. BTW max growth in passengers is in India, much higher than Europe and US.
have a good trip