Skyward Surge: India's Soaring Domestic Air Travel

India's domestic air passenger traffic increased by 5.3% in October compared to the previous year. IndiGo led with a 63.3% market share. Notably, Air India merged its subsidiaries, while Vistara joined Air India. Combined, these Tata Group carriers represented 28.5% of total passenger traffic.

India's domestic air passenger numbers surged by 5.3% year-on-year in October, reaching 1.36 crore, according to figures released by aviation regulator DGCA on Tuesday. Leading the charge was budget airline IndiGo, which flew 86.40 lakh passengers, commanding a dominant market share of 63.3%.

Significant changes have swept through the aviation sector as Air India completed the merger of its subsidiary AIX Connect with Air India Express in October. Subsequently, Vistara also merged with full-service carrier Air India in November. Together, these Tata Group airlines accounted for 28.5% of October's domestic passenger traffic.

Meanwhile, SpiceJet and newcomer Akasa Air transported 3.35 lakh and 6.16 lakh passengers, respectively, contributing to 2.4% and 5.4% of the overall market. IndiGo's on-time performance stood out across four major metro airports at 71.9%, contrasting sharply with Alliance Air's lowest rate of 54.4% among the six leading domestic airlines.

(With inputs from agencies.)