Domestic air passenger traffic increased by 3.88 per cent to 1.32 crore in April, up from 1.28 crore in the same month last year, according to official data released on Tuesday (May 21).
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) reported that 1,370 passengers were affected by denied boarding, with airlines spending Rs 136.23 lakh on compensation and facilities.
32,314 flight cancellations in April
Additionally, there were 32,314 flight cancellations in April, with airlines providing Rs 89.26 lakh in compensation. A total of 1,09,910 flights were delayed, costing airlines Rs 135.42 lakh in facilitation expenses.
Akasa Air tops on-time performance rankings
In terms of On-Time Performance (OTP), Akasa Air led with 89.2 percent, followed by AIX Connect at 79.5 percent, Vistara at 76.2 percent, IndiGo at 76.1 percent, Air India at 72.1 percent, SpiceJet at 64.2 percent, and Alliance Air at 49.5 percent.
IndiGo and Air India gain market share
IndiGo’s market share increased to 60.6 percent in April, while Air India’s rose to 14.2 percent. Conversely, the market shares of Vistara and AIX Connect declined to 9.2 percent and 5.4 percent, respectively. Akasa Air’s market share remained stable at 4.4 percent, while SpiceJet’s fell to 4.7 percent.
“Passengers carried by domestic airlines during January – April 2024 were 523.46 lakh as against 503.93 lakh during the corresponding period of the previous year thereby registering an annual growth of 3.88 per cent and monthly growth of 2.42 per cent,” the DGCA reported.