India's Airlines Experience 6% Growth in Domestic Passenger Traffic with 16 Crore Flyers in 2024
Click to start listening
Synopsis
India's domestic air traffic rose by 6.12% to 16.13 crore flyers in 2024. IndiGo dominated with a 64.4% market share. Airlines are expanding fleets to meet rising demand. Flight cancellations affected over 67,000 passengers in December.
Key Takeaways
- 6.12% increase in domestic air passenger traffic.
- IndiGo holds 64.4% market share.
- Flight cancellations impacted 67,622 passengers.
- Airlines plan to expand fleets.
- India is one of the fastest-growing aviation markets.
New Delhi, Jan 23 (NationPress) The domestic air passenger traffic in India witnessed a remarkable increase of 6.12%, reaching 16.13 crore in 2024 compared to 15.2 crore the previous year, as reported by the latest statistics from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
In December 2024, commercial airlines transported over 1.49 crore passengers on domestic routes, marking an impressive rise of 8.19% from 1.38 crore in December 2023.
During this month, IndiGo held a commanding market share of 64.4%, while Air India captured 26.4%. Akasa Air and SpiceJet accounted for 4.6% and 3.3% of the market, respectively.
The DGCA data indicated that IndiGo boosted its share of domestic air passenger traffic from 60.5% in 2023 to 61.9% in 2024, having flown 9.99 crore domestic passengers during the year. Conversely, SpiceJet's market share declined from 5.5% to 3.7%, with the budget carrier transporting 60 lakh passengers within India in 2024.
The on-time performance (OTP) rates for December revealed that IndiGo achieved the highest OTP at 73.4%, followed by Air India at 67.6%, Akasa Air at 62.7%, SpiceJet at 61.5%, and Alliance Air at 55.6%.
The overall flight cancellation rate among scheduled domestic carriers was recorded at 1.07% in December. This resulted in 67,622 passengers being affected, prompting airlines to compensate with Rs 1.26 crore for various inconveniences. Additionally, 2.8 lakh passengers experienced flight delays, leading to Rs 3.78 crore in compensation paid out in December.
During the same month, 2,147 passengers faced denied boarding, incurring Rs 1.76 crore in airline compensation and assistance.
In response to the increasing demand for air travel, airlines are actively expanding their fleets and networks, positioning India as one of the fastest-growing civil aviation markets globally.
The Air India Group currently operates a fleet of approximately 300 commercial aircraft, with plans to grow to around 400 commercial planes over the next three years.
