India's domestic air traffic in May rose 36% compared to the same month last year. Domestic airlines carried 1.32 crore passengers in May, as per the data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), closing the month with highest-ever domestic traffic in the history of India.
Domestic air traffic in May was up 2.5% compared to April 2023 when airlines carried 1.29 crore passengers. Air traffic has seen a considerable jump from pre-Covid levels, with domestic airlines carried only 1.22 crore passengers in May 2019.
The market share of IndiGo rose 390 basis points in May, following the collapse of GoFirst, which stopped all operations on May 2.
IndiGo's market share for May stood at 61.3%, after rising 70 basis points in April, 90 basis points in March and 130 basis points in February. The low-cost carrier flew 81.10 lakh passengers in May.
Air India became the second-largest domestic carrier in May and garnered a market share of 9.4% flying 12.44 lakh passengers during the period.
Data reflects how every market share on the back of Go FIRST’s suspension, except SpiceJet, which further lost market share by 0.4%. Akasa Air, which is less than a year old, gained 4.8% market share in May.
The peak summer holiday month saw demand soar, helped by last-minute travellers who had tickets booked with Go FIRST.
Experts are of the opinion that April to June 2023 is turning out to be the best-ever quarter for Indian aviation in terms of domestic passengers and considering the stability in oil prices and a stable rupee should translate into bumper profitability as well.