India’s commercial airlines flew 14.2 million passengers on domestic routes in November this year, marking a 12% increase compared to the same month last year, according to data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

However, the On Time Performance (OTP) of scheduled domestic airlines at major airports like Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Mumbai has declined during November, causing passengers to experience longer delays.

IndiGo continues to lead the market with a 63.6% share of air traffic, followed by Air India at 24.4%, Akasa Air at 4.7%, and SpiceJet at 3.1%. Alliance Air remained stable with a 0.7% market share during the month.

According to the DGCA report, “Passengers carried by domestic airlines during January-November 2024 totaled 146.4 million compared to 138.2 million during the same period last year, representing an annual growth of 5.91% and a monthly growth of 11.90%.”

Domestic air passenger traffic stood at 14.25 million in November, surpassing 12.73 million in the same month last year. The volume also exceeded the corresponding figure from October, which was 13.6 million.

Despite the increase in passenger numbers, the On Time Performance of IndiGo, Akasa Air, and SpiceJet dropped to 74.5%, 66.4%, and 62.5% respectively, while Air India’s and Alliance Air’s OTP stood at 58.8% and 58.9%, respectively.

The data revealed that 224,904 passengers faced delays in November, resulting in airlines compensating close to 2.9 million INR to facilitate stranded passengers. Moreover, 3,539 passengers were denied boarding, with airlines incurring costs amounting to 2.84 million INR for compensations and accommodations. Additionally, 27,577 passengers experienced flight cancellations, leading to compensation costs totaling 367,900 INR.