None of the Indian aviation brands or companies made it to the top 10 rankings for on-time performance (OTP) globally, as instances of flight delays soared in 2024 highlighting the gap in operational inefficiencies.
The second and third positions during the 2023 global ranking conducted by Cirium, an aviation data and analytics firm, were held by Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad and Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, respectively.
However, neither Hyderabad nor Bengaluru airports made it to the top 10 rankings in 2024. In fact, no Indian airport, including major hubs like Delhi and Mumbai, featured in the top 10 even within the Asia-Pacific category.
King Khalid International Airport, Saudi Arabia and Jorge Chavez International Airport, Peru, clocked the best OTPs among airports during 2024 for the number 1 and number 2 positions, respectively.
IndiGo, India’s largest carrier by fleet size and domestic market share, slipped out of the Top Asia Pacific Airline list of 2024 after securing the fourth spot in 2023. As per the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) data, the OTP of IndiGo between January and November stood at 71%. The same was 82% in 2023, as per Cirium.
“IndiGo remains dedicated to operational excellence as Indian aviation rapidly expands, already ranking as the third-largest market globally. Despite infrastructural challenges and circumstances beyond our control, such as bomb threats, extended runway closures, and weather-related delays including monsoon and fog conditions, IndiGo has consistently delivered reliable service. As of October, IndiGo has reclaimed the #1 position in OTP rankings within India. This achievement underscores the airline’s unwavering focus on enhancing operational efficiency and delivering superior travel experiences for its customers,” an IndiGo spokesperson said.
Delta Airlines, with a fleet nearly three times the size of IndiGo’s, ranked as the third most punctual airline globally. The top two spots were claimed by Mexico’s private carrier Aeromexico and Saudia, the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, as the world’s most punctual airlines.
With a world share of 1.8%, India has the third largest domestic aviation market in the world trailing the US and China. It saw 14.64 crore passengers between January and November, recording a growth of 6% year-on-year.
Nearly 1,000 hoax bomb calls, the outage of Microsoft CrowdStrike, unscheduled mass leave by a group of dispirited pilots, airport-specific incidents and inclement weather added to the reasons behind the rise in cases of flight delays in India this year.
Over 2.39 million passengers in India were affected by flight delays in the first 11 months of 2024, marking a 27% increase compared to the same period in 2023, according to DGCA data.
The most common cause behind the tardy performance was ‘reactionary delay’, a DGCA-defined reason caused by the late arrival of aircraft, crew, passengers or loads from a previous flight. This usually has a cascading effect on punctuality of other flights.
India’s domestic demand for air travel is unlikely to be abated. Rating and research agency ICRA estimates an increase in domestic air passenger traffic to 164-170 million in FY2025, reflecting a year on year growth of 7-10%.