Hinglish

Air Transport, Shipping and Ports

Class 7 Social Science · Chapter 19: Infrastructure: Engine of India's Development · NCERT Exploring Society: India and Beyond section 19.4

Learn

Air transport is the fastest way to link places. Passenger flights carry people; cargo flights move high-value or perishable goods like vaccines and seafood, and aircraft can carry relief to mountains, deserts and islands in disasters. India has the world's third-highest domestic air traffic, about 37.6 crore passengers in 2024–25, and 159 airports in 2025. Bengaluru's Kempegowda Airport is designed as a "garden city" with bamboo and green spaces.

With an 11,100 km coastline, India trades by sea with West Asia, Africa and Europe. Ships are the cheapest way to carry heavy goods like coal, cars and cement over long distances. India has 12 major ports and 217 minor ones, such as Mumbai, Kochi, Chennai, Visakhapatnam and Paradip, and cargo handled has grown by half in a decade. Container traffic is measured in TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units); Mumbai handled about 7 million TEU in 2024, while Shanghai handled over 50 million.

Explore: best way to send it?

  1. Sort each load.

Remember

  • Air transport is fastest and vital in disasters; India has the third-highest domestic air traffic.
  • Ships carry heavy goods cheaply through India's 12 major and 217 minor ports.

Quick check

Which mode is cheapest for heavy goods over long distances?

  1. ships
  2. aeroplanes
  3. autorickshaws
  4. bicycles
Answer

ships. Aeroplanes are fastest but costly.

Think about it

How do ports and airports create jobs far beyond the port itself?

One answer

Truckers, warehouses, factories that export, hotels, taxi drivers, shops and repair services all grow around trade and travel, even in distant towns.

Practice

Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.