India's Domestic Air Traffic Surges to 16.13 Crore Passengers in 2024 Amid Rising Demand

India's domestic air travel saw a 6% rise in 2024, reaching 16.13 crore passengers, as per the latest data. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) reported that airlines transported over 1.49 crore passengers in December 2024, marking an 8.19% increase from December 2023, when the figure was nearly 1.38 crore.

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Throughout January to December 2024, domestic airlines carried 1,613.31 lakh passengers compared to 1,520.32 lakh in the previous year. This reflects an annual growth rate of 6.12% and a monthly growth of 8.19%, according to the DGCA's report released on Wednesday.

Market Share and On-Time Performance

In December, IndiGo dominated the market with a share of 64.4%, while Air India held 26.4%. Akasa Air and SpiceJet accounted for 4.6% and 3.3%, respectively. However, On-Time Performance (OTP) suffered during this period.

IndiGo achieved the highest OTP at 73.4%, followed by Air India at 67.6%. Akasa Air recorded an OTP of 62.7%, SpiceJet at 61.5%, and Alliance Air at 55.6%. These figures were calculated for four major metro airports: Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, and Hyderabad.

Flight Cancellations and Passenger Impact

The overall flight cancellation rate for scheduled domestic carriers was 1.07% in December last year. This affected 67,622 passengers, with airlines spending Rs 1.26 crore on compensation and facilities related to these cancellations.

Additionally, flight delays impacted 2,79,985 passengers in December, leading airlines to spend Rs 3.78 crore on facilitation efforts during this period.

Moreover, during the same timeframe, around 2,147 passengers were denied boarding due to various reasons. Airlines compensated these passengers with Rs 1.76 crore towards compensation and facilities.

The expansion of fleets and networks by airlines is a response to the growing demand for air travel in India, one of the world's fastest-growing civil aviation markets.