Domestic air passenger traffic reached 13.1 million in January 2024

 

In January, an estimated 13.1 million people travelled by air in India, marking a 4.7% increase from the previous year. This number represented a decline from December’s record high of 13.8 million.

The drop in passenger numbers was due to frequent flight cancellations caused by dense fog, with weather conditions responsible for about 83% of the cancellations. IndiGo, India’s largest airline, reported a 5% cancellation rate, a significant rise from 2% a year ago, leading to over 3,000 flight cancellations.

Despite the challenges, the aviation sector has been rebounding from its pandemic lows, with an estimated 152 million passengers flying in 2023, surpassing the 144.2 million passengers in 2019, representing a 23% year-on-year increase. However, the sector still faces challenges, including high aviation turbine fuel costs and the depreciation of the Indian rupee against the dollar.

IndiGo dominated the market share in January with 60.2%, followed by Air India (12.2%), Vistara (9.9%), AIX Connect (6.1%), SpiceJet (5.5%), and Akasa Air (4.5%). Adverse weather also impacted airlines’ punctuality, with most major airlines operating at around 90% capacity utilization. Vistara topped the list with a passenger load factor (PLF) of 94.2%, followed by SpiceJet at 93.7%, Akasa Air at 92.4%, IndiGo at 88.4%, AIX Connect at 87.6%, and Air India at 87.3%