Industry Odisha Bureau, Aug 21: India’s domestic air passenger volume dropped 4.8% in July to 12 million travelers. The decline caught most major airlines struggling with lower seat occupancy rates significantly. However, year to date domestic air passenger traffic remained marginally higher at 0.64% growth overall.
IndiGo airline carried 8.08 million passengers, down sharply from June’s 8.92 million passengers. The carrier strengthened its dominance by capturing 67.4% of the domestic airline market share. Air India Group transported 2.88 million passengers, maintaining its second position status in airline rankings.
Budget carrier Akasa Air’s domestic air passenger numbers fell to 665,000 from June’s substantial 861,000. SpiceJet’s traffic declined to 187,000, reflecting broader industry headwinds affecting smaller airline operators severely. Despite overall traffic decline, load factors deteriorated across major carriers except SpiceJet airline.
IndiGo airline recorded impressive on-time performance of 91.2% across India’s major aviation hubs. Akasa Air followed closely with 90.8%, while Air India Group achieved 88.5% punctuality among airports. SpiceJet airline lagged significantly with just 34.6% on time performance at major airports.
Cancellations remained minimal at 0.62% overall for domestic airline operations during July month. Technical issues drove 39.9% of cancellations, followed by operational causes and weather disruptions respectively. IndiGo airline’s superior operational efficiency reflects stronger airline management and infrastructure advantages clearly. The summer slump signals seasonal softness in India’s domestic air passenger demand cycle patterns.
