Indian Airlines See 12% Growth With 14.2 Million Flyers In November

Indian Airlines carried 1.42 crore passengers on domestic routes in November 2024. This marks a nearly 12% increase compared to the same period last year. This growth comes amid rising demand for air travel, signalling a strong recovery in the sector.

Indian Airlines Market Share Distribution

In terms of domestic market share, IndiGo continued to dominate with a 63.6% share, followed by Air India at 24.4%, Akasa Air at 4.7%, and SpiceJet at 3.1%.

All these carriers saw an increase in their market share, while Alliance Air’s share remained unchanged at 0.7% in November, according to data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Looking at the broader picture, the period from January to November 2024 saw domestic airlines carry 1,464.02 lakh passengers, up from 1,382.34 lakh in the same period of the previous year. This marks an annual growth of 5.91% and a significant monthly growth of 11.90%.

Air India Completes Vistara Merger Amid Rising Demand

In November, domestic air passenger traffic reached 142.52 lakh, up from 127.36 lakh in November 2023.

For comparison, in October 2024, the number stood at 1.36 crore. Notably, Air India completed the merger of its full-service carrier, Vistara, into the Air India brand in November.

On-time Performance Takes A Hit

Despite the rise in traffic, the On-Time Performance (OTP) of scheduled domestic airlines faced challenges in November.

OTP for airlines at the four major metro airports Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Mumbai was affected.

IndiGo recorded an OTP of 74.5%, while Akasa Air and SpiceJet had OTPs of 66.4% and 62.5%, respectively. Air India’s OTP stood at 58.8%, and Alliance Air’s at 58.9%, according to the DGCA’s data.

Passenger Delays And Complaints

The data also revealed that 2,24,904 passengers were impacted by delays in November, with airlines spending nearly ₹2.90 crore on compensation and facilitation.

In addition, 624 passenger-related complaints were filed against the scheduled domestic airlines.

In terms of denied boarding, 3,539 passengers were affected in November, and airlines incurred a total of ₹2.84 crore in compensation and facility expenses.

Furthermore, flight cancellations impacted 27,577 passengers, resulting in airlines spending ₹36.79 lakh on compensation and extended services.

Overall, while the rise in passenger numbers is a positive sign for the industry, the challenges related to on-time performance and passenger complaints highlight areas that need further attention in the growing domestic aviation market.

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