Domestic air passengers annual traffic volume surged to 29.10%: DGCA

NEW DELHI: Domestic airline passenger numbers for the period spanning January to September soared to 1,128.62 lakh, showcasing a substantial increase from the 874.24 lakh recorded during the same period the previous year, said the aviation watchdog, DGCA, official.

This impressive growth represents an annual increase of 29.10 per cent and a noteworthy monthly growth rate of 18.26 per cent.

According to data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), during September, a total of 246 passenger related complaints were received by the scheduled domestic airlines.

"The number of complaints per 10,000 passengers carried for the month of September 2023 has been around 0.20. The major reasons for complaints are flight problems. Airlines have received a total of 246 complaints, out of which 242 (approx. 98 per cent) have been addressed," the data claimed.

Notably, from January to September this year, IndiGo, a budget airline, secured a 59.9 per cent market share by flying 676.28 lakh passengers while Air India, owned by the Tata Group, carried a total of 105.46 lakh passengers, with a market share of 9.3 per cent.

"Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, flew 101.01 lakh passengers, securing a nine per cent market share. AirAsia India, now known as AIX Connect, recorded 83.73 lakh passengers, making up 7.4 per cent of the total traffic," the data stated.

Akasa Air, which marked its one-year anniversary on July 7 this year, and now is suspected to be facing shortage of pilots, flew 45.67 lakh passengers and claimed a four per cent market share, the data showed.

SpiceJet transported 62.06 lakh passengers from January to August this year, capturing 5.5 per cent of the market.

IndiGo also excelled in punctuality, with 83.6 per cent of its flights departing or arriving on time at major airports such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad followed by AirAsia with 81.6 per cent.