New Delhi: Indian aviation saw its highest ever half-year passenger traffic this year, with 79.3 million passengers from January to June, compared to 76 million passengers in the same period last year, according to data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
In 2023, India's domestic aviation had its most successful year yet, surpassing pre-Covid-19 figures by 5.77 percent. The latest numbers show a 12.3 percent increase compared to 2019, the year prior to the Covid-19 outbreak.According to the report, India is one of the rare nations that not only recovered rapidly after the pandemic but also exceeded pre-pandemic levels last year. Despite facing ongoing challenges, India's growth trajectory has remained strong this year.
While June experienced a decrease in travelers from May, it marked the highest June on record for domestic air travel in India, with 13.6 million passengers, surpassing the 12.4 million passengers in June 2023. The slight decrease in market capacity was a consequence of Go First's collapse in May of the previous year.
IndiGo, one of the two airlines in India that are listed, announced record earnings for the previous fiscal year. Yet, the nation's progression in aviation is being restricted by a substantial lack of aircraft. According to the report, IndiGo currently has 70 to 80 aircraft grounded out of its fleet of over 350 due to engine problems.
The lack of planes has caused ticket prices to skyrocket, leading to numerous travelers voicing their frustrations over paying twice as much or even more than before Covid-19. Despite a modest 2.5 per cent increase in departures, the growth in passenger traffic has outpaced this, with Available Seat Kilometres (ASK) seeing a 3.7 per cent rise in capacity. This indicates that load factors are strengthening, as higher fares are leading to higher load factors, according to the report.
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