Domestic Air Passenger Traffic In November Drops 51% From 2019 Level: DGCA

The Civil Aviation Regulator of India DGCA on Friday said that a total of 63.54 lakh domestic passengers traveled by air in November, 51% lower than November 2019.

As per the data shared by DGCA, 39.43 lakh and 52.71 lakh people traveled by air domestically in September and October, respectively.

The data also showed that no-frills carrier IndiGo carried 34.23 lakh passengers in November, a 53.9% share of the total domestic market, while SpiceJet flew 8.4 lakh passengers, which is 13.2% share of the market.

Moreover, Air India, GoAir, AirAsia India, and Vistara carried 6.56 lakh, 5.77 lakh, 4.21 lakh, and 3.97 lakh passengers respectively in November.

The data also stated that the occupancy rate or load factor of all six major Indian airlines was between 66.3 and 77.7% in November 2020.

“The passenger load factor in the month of November 2020 has shown some recovery due to increased demand after the opening of the lockdown and the onset of the festive season,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said.

The occupancy rate at SpiceJet was 77.7% in November, the regulator noted.

Meanwhile, the occupancy rate for other major airlines IndiGo, Vistara, GoAir, Air India, and AirAsia India was 74%, 70.8%, 70.8%, 69.6%, and 66.3% respectively, according to the DGCA.

India resumed domestic passenger flights on May 25 after a gap of two months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Indian airlines are allowed to operate a maximum of 80% of their pre-Covid-19 domestic flights.

The DGCA data mentioned that in November, IndiGo had the best on-time performance of 97.5% at four metro airports — Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Mumbai.

In a statement, IndiGo said, “As we chart a recovery path, we are pleased to be the leader in On-Time Performance, one of our core service values. We hope to continue this lead and provide the best OTP to our customers.”

AirAsia India and Vistara were at number two and three at these four airports in November with 95.6% and 94.8% on-time performance, respectively, the DGCA said.

The aviation sector has been significantly impacted due to the travel restrictions imposed in India and other countries in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

All airlines in India have taken cost-cutting measures such as pay cuts, leave without pay, and firing of employees in order to tide over the crisis.

(With Inputs From PTI)

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