India’s domestic air passenger traffic rose by 6.12 percent in 2024, reaching a total of 161.3 million, according to the latest data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) released on Wednesday.
This growth follows a robust post-pandemic recovery, though the rate is slower than in 2023 when traffic surged by 23.36 percent to 152 million passengers.
IndiGo, the country’s largest airline, further strengthened its position in the domestic market. The carrier’s share of air passenger traffic increased from 60.5 percent in 2023 to 61.9 percent in 2024. IndiGo carried a total of 99.9 million domestic passengers last year, solidifying its dominance in the sector.
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In contrast, SpiceJet saw a significant decline in market share, which dropped from 5.5 percent to 3.7 percent. The low-cost airline transported just six million passengers within India during the year.
Meanwhile, the Air India Group, which includes Air India, Air India Express, and the newly merged Vistara, reported an increase in traffic. The group carried 45.8 million domestic passengers in 2024, up from 39.49 million in 2023. The merger of Vistara into Air India in November 2024 and AIX Connect into Air India Express in October 2024 contributed to this growth.
The Air India Group is also rapidly expanding its fleet. Currently operating around 300 aircraft, the group plans to increase its fleet size to approximately 400 planes within the next three years. In the past two years, the Tata Group-owned airline has placed orders for 570 new aircraft, including 220 from Boeing and 350 from Airbus.
In terms of on-time performance, IndiGo led the pack with a punctuality rate of 73.4 percent in December. Air India Group followed closely in second place with a performance rate of 67.6 percent.