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Domestic Air Travel in April Sees 8.5% YoY Growth, Slight Dip from March

India’s domestic aviation sector continued its upward trajectory in April 2025, with passenger traffic rising by 8.5% year-on-year (YoY), reaching 14.3 million passengers, according to the latest data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). However, compared to March’s 14.5 million passengers, there was a marginal decline, attributed to flight disruptions caused by geopolitical tensions and adverse weather conditions.

IndiGo Leads in Punctuality for Fifth Consecutive Month

IndiGo maintained its position as India’s most punctual airline for the fifth straight month, achieving an 80% on-time performance (OTP) across major metro airports—Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad. Akasa Air followed closely, while Air India Group secured the third spot.

Despite improved punctuality in March due to reduced fog-related delays, April saw a dip in OTP due to:

• Geopolitical disruptions from the India-Pakistan border conflict.

• Operational challenges at Delhi International Airport (DIAL) following the temporary closure of Runway 10/28.

Airlines like Air India Group, Akasa, IndiGo, and SpiceJet recorded below 69% OTP at DIAL in April.

Flight Cancellations: Weather Emerges as Primary Cause

The overall cancellation rate for April stood at 0.64%, slightly higher than March’s 0.56%. Key insights:

• Flybig had the highest cancellation rate (36%), followed by Alliance Air (4.97%) and SpiceJet (1.53%).

• Weather disruptions accounted for 38.8% of cancellations, while technical (25.8%), operational (22.3%), and miscellaneous (11.7%) issues also contributed.

Passenger Complaints and Compensation

Airlines received 910 complaints in April, averaging 0.64 complaints per 10,000 passengers. Most grievances were flight-related, and nearly 100% were resolved.

Compensation Breakdown:

• Denied Boarding: 925 passengers compensated with ₹72.9 lakhs.

• Cancellations: 20,840 passengers received ₹41.69 lakhs.

• Delays: 96,350 passengers were compensated ₹188.51 lakhs.

Market Share: IndiGo Strengthens Dominance

• IndiGo further solidified its leadership with a 64.1% market share, carrying 9.17 million passengers.

• Air India Group held 27.2%, transporting 3.89 million passengers.

• Akasa Air (5%) stayed ahead of SpiceJet (2.6%), which saw a 70-basis-point decline from March.

Passenger Load Factor (Occupancy Rate):

• Akasa Air led with 93%, followed by IndiGo (86.9%), SpiceJet (86%), and Air India Group (83.3%).

Conclusion

While India’s domestic aviation sector continues to grow, external factors like geopolitical tensions and weather disruptions impacted April’s performance. IndiGo remains the leader in punctuality and market share, but challenges like flight cancellations and delays highlight the need for improved operational resilience.

For the latest travel updates and aviation trends, stay tuned to Traventurs!