Domestic air passenger traffic in India witnessed a significant annual growth of nearly 11 percent in October, according to official data released on Thursday. The total number of passengers reached 1.26 crore, marking a notable increase from 1.14 crore passengers recorded in October 2022 and 1.22 crore passengers in September 2023.
Airline Market Share
Data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) revealed that IndiGo continued to dominate the domestic market, carrying 79.07 lakh passengers in October and holding a market share of 62.6 percent. While IndiGo’s market share slightly decreased from 63.4 percent in September, Air India experienced a rise in market share to 10.5 percent. However, Vistara and AirAsia India witnessed a decline in market share to 9.7 percent and 6.6 percent, respectively, in October.
Performance of Other Carriers
SpiceJet saw its market share increase to 5 percent in October compared to 4.4 percent in September, while Akasa Air’s market share remained unchanged at 4.2 percent during the same period.
Annual Growth Trends
The DGCA reported robust growth in domestic air travel, with passenger numbers for January-October 2023 reaching 1,254.98 lakhs, marking a 26.98 percent increase compared to the same period in the previous year. The monthly growth rate for October alone stood at 10.78 percent.
Passenger Disruptions
Despite the growth in air travel, challenges such as denied boarding, flight cancellations, and delays persisted. In October, 587 passengers were denied boarding by scheduled airlines, while flight cancellations affected 30,307 passengers, and flight delays impacted 1,78,227 passengers.
The data reflects the resilience of the domestic aviation sector amid ongoing challenges, with airlines continuing to adapt to evolving passenger demands and operational requirements.
