NEW DELHI — Yet another Indian air force MiG combat aircraft has crashed, the eighth IAF MiG to go down this year. The pilot ejected safely. The MiG-21 Bison fighter took off from Sirsa Air Force station base on the morning of Dec. 2 for a regular practice flight and crashed a short time later into a field in a village in northern India’s Haryana state about 40 km away, police and air force officials said. An IAF spokesman said the pilot, Wing Cmdr. J.D. Singh, was safe.

India and the Middle East countries will account for 11% of the world’s aircraft deliveries in the next decade, says a recent report by OAG. However, both markets face immense challenges in meeting the expected growth in passengers and aircraft operations, which will require massive expansion of infrastructure and high-performing aviation systems, the report says.

Although spiraling jet fuel costs, plummeting profits and high debt levels are threatening the survival of its domestic carriers, India's burgeoning demand is expected to pull the beleaguered aviation sector through the current turbulence.