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Domestic air travel in India saw a modest rise of 4.8 per cent in February 2024 compared to the same month last year. This translates into 12.65 million passengers carried by domestic airlines. However, this number falls short of the 13.13 million passengers recorded in January 2024.
IndiGo retains “Top Spot’’, Akasa Air “Most Punctual”
IndiGo continues to be the market leader with a 60.1 per cent share, followed by Air India (12.8 per cent ), Vistara (9.9 per cent ), SpiceJet (5.2 per cent ) and Akasa Air (4.5 per cent ).
In terms of on-time performance, AIX Connect emerged as the most punctual airline in February with a 73.5 per cent OTP. Akasa Air (72.9 per cent ), IndiGo (72.7 per cent ) and Vistara (67.4 per cent ) followed closely.
Inconvenience for Passengers
Despite the increase in traffic, passengers faced inconveniences due to flight delays and cancellations. Around 1.55 lakh passengers were impacted by delays, while over 29,000 passengers were affected by cancellations. To compensate for the disruptions, airlines provided a total of ₹300.26 lakh to passengers.
- Also read: Domestic air traffic up 5% in January
Market Share Flux
IndiGo’s market share witnessed a slight decline for the second month in a row, dropping to 60.1 per cent . This decrease comes after the airline grappled with operational challenges in January due to dense fog. On the other hand, Air India gained market share, reaching 12.8 per cent. SpiceJet continued to see a dip, falling to 5.2 per cent from a peak of 10.7 per cent in February 2022. Akasa Air maintained its market share at 4.5 per cent .
Cancellation Rates and Reasons
The data revealed that the cancellation rate for scheduled domestic airlines stood at 0.90 per cent . FlyBig recorded the highest cancellation rate (7.69 per cent ), while Akasa Air had the lowest (0.30 per cent ). Weather remained the primary culprit for cancellations, accounting for 58.6 per cent of the disruptions, followed by technical issues (19.7 per cent ).
Passenger Complaints Linger
A total of 791 passenger complaints were registered in February, with flight-related problems being the most frequent concern. This indicates that areas like on-time performance and efficient grievance redressal mechanisms require attention from airlines.
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