Wings of the world
Everyone aspires to fly, fly high, gaze at the world from the top, from the skies. But most can’t as we live in a world where everything comes with that one expensive price tag. According to data collected by the UN, 41-55% of Indians live under 1.25$ a day. With such low per-capita income numerous citizens just can’t afford the experience of flight. However, this can change. It can change in innumerable ways. Already many flights are overpriced. For a one-hour flight from Bangalore to Chennai, you would have to pay a minimum of 3000 INR. Yes, airlines do need to pay for the charges of fuel, maintenance, staff, etc. even so, ₹3000 for a one-hour flight is certainly overpriced. But there are ways through which airlines can reduce prices and at the same time be able to pay off the costs of these factors. One such example may include, airlines could reduce charges by bringing in to play smaller planes like the Bombardier challenger 350. These planes can be refurbished in such a manner that not many seats are needed and the smaller size decreases the fuel consumption as well. Another thing that makes air travel more expensive is airports. Airlines need to pay large sums of money to be allowed to dock their planes in airports. Hence, what can be done is, make more domestic and smaller airports. The runways don’t need to be too big as only small planes will be landing or taking off from them. By constructing such airports airlines won’t need to pay as much money as compared to the big ones, by doing so airlines can reduce their costs even more and evidently reduce the prices of tickets.
Airports the size of this are good enough for small Bombardiers or other small planes. And lastly if airlines can reduce their crew to a max of 6 members then that can fix the staff salary issue. If small planes are going to be flown, with fewer passengers, then a huge crew is not required. A smaller crew would result in a lesser amount spent on wages and thus decreasing the ticket prices once again. These are just a few methods to make air travel more affordable for the poor and lower class to fulfil their dreams of flying high above, over the others and get the experience of a lifetime. They are simple strategies and if implemented well, can help the nation and its people in a positive manner.
By, L Pushkar Skanda, Grade 8C
