After Two Months Of Turbulence, India's Domestic Air Traffic Records 9.49% Increase In Passengers

Mumbai: After two straight months of turbulent contractions triggered by the West Asia crisis, India’s domestic aviation sector is now showing signs of recovery. Domestic airlines reported a major spike in passenger volumes for May, pulling the industry’s cumulative annual growth back from near-flat growth in April.

According to the latest data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Indian carriers transported 1.53 crore passengers in May 2026, recording a sharp 9.49% increase compared to 1.4 crore passengers in the same month last year. The blockbuster May performance is a massive reversal from April 2026, when the domestic aviation sector experienced a notable 3.47% contraction. Hit hard by escalating aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices stemming from the geopolitical conflict in West Asia, passenger traffic had dropped to 1.38 crore in April, down from 1.43 crore in April 2025.

The consecutive declines in March and April had effectively flatlined the industry's year-to-date trajectory, leaving cumulative growth at a microscopic 0.06% by the end of April. However, May’s traffic boom single-handedly salvaged the year-to-date numbers. Total domestic air traffic for the first five months of 2026 now stands at 7.29 crore passengers, lifting the cumulative annual growth rate to a healthier 1.9% compared to the corresponding period last year.

The sudden influx of vacationers has also relieved the downward pressure on airline passenger load factors -- a critical metric of operational efficiency and seat occupancy. Major players gained the load factor level, which had dropped in April. In May, IndiGo, Air India Group, Akasa Air and SpiceJet reported 86.4%, 83.5%, 92.5% and 87.4% passenger load.

IndiGo continued to dominate the domestic market with a 63.3% share, followed by the Air India Group at 25.6% and Akasa Air at 5.8%.

SpiceJet performed the worst in on-time performance among the five major airlines across the ten major airports. The airline performed on time only 26.5% of its total flights in the month. Around 15.75% of its flights were delayed by more than two hours. In May, about 10,701 passengers were affected due to the airline's cancellations, whereas 46,481 passengers were affected due to delays of over two hours.