• India's domestic air traffic grew by 12% in November, with IndiGo leading the market share at 63.6%.
• Despite the growth, On Time Performance (OTP) declined at several major airports, causing longer delays for passengers.
• Over 2 lakh passengers were affected by delays, with airlines compensating nearly Rs 2.9 crore for the inconvenience.
• Despite challenges, the aviation sector shows resilience, with Indigo's operations reaching 1.5 times their pre-COVID-19 scale.

India's aviation sector has witnessed a significant development with the country's domestic air traffic posting a double-digit growth in November. According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India's commercial airlines transported 1.42 crore passengers on domestic routes in November this year, marking a robust 12% increase compared to the same month in the previous year.

The DGCA's report further revealed that IndiGo, the country's largest airline, maintained its position as the market leader with a 63.6% share of air traffic. This was followed by Air India with a 24.4% share, Akasa Air with 4.7%, and SpiceJet with 3.1%. The market share of Alliance Air remained steady at 0.7% during the month.

The DGCA report also provided a broader perspective on the performance of domestic airlines in the year 2024. Passengers carried by domestic airlines during January-November 2024 were 1,464.02 lakh as against 1,382.34 lakh during the corresponding period of the previous year thereby registering an annual growth of 5.91% and monthly growth of 11.90%, the report stated.

Performance and Challenges

In terms of absolute numbers, domestic air passenger traffic was at 142.52 lakh in November compared to 127.36 lakh in the same period a year ago. The number of flyers that took to Indian skies in November was also higher than the corresponding figure of 1.36 crore for October.

However, the report also highlighted some areas of concern. The On Time Performance (OTP) of scheduled domestic airlines at Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Mumbai declined during November, resulting in passengers facing longer delays. IndiGo's OTP stood at 74.5%, while that of Akasa Air and SpiceJet touched 66.4% and 62.5%, respectively. The OTP of Air India and Alliance Air were at 58.8% and 58.9%, respectively.

The DGCA data also revealed that 2,24,904 passengers were affected by delays in November. The airlines paid up close to Rs 2.9 crore towards the facilitation of stranded passengers. Furthermore, a total of 624 passenger-related complaints were received by the scheduled domestic airlines during November.

Airline Operations and Passenger Experience

In addition to this, a total of 3,539 passengers were denied boarding in November, and an expenditure of Rs 2.84 crore was incurred by airlines for compensating and providing facilities to them. The figures also showed that 27,577 passengers were affected by flight cancellations for which airlines spent Rs 36.79 lakh as compensation and providing facilities.

In a related development, Air India completed the merger of full-service carrier Vistara with itself in November. This move is expected to further consolidate Air India's position in the domestic aviation market.

Despite the challenges, the Indian aviation sector has shown resilience and adaptability. For instance, Indigo reported a loss following seven profitable quarters in the Q2 FY25 financial results report. However, the airline's domestic operations have now reached 1.5 times their pre-COVID-19 scale, with even more significant growth in international operations.