Synopsis
In January, India's domestic air passenger traffic reached an estimated 150.3 lakh, reflecting a 14.5% year-on-year increase, according to a recent report. This growth indicates a continued recovery in the aviation sector, surpassing pre-Covid levels by 17.9%. International traffic also showed strong performance, contributing to a positive outlook for the industry.Key Takeaways
- Domestic air passenger traffic hit 150.3 lakh in January.
- Year-on-year growth of 14.5% noted.
- Traffic exceeded pre-Covid levels by 17.9%.
- International traffic rose 41.7% compared to pre-Covid.
- Passenger load factor reached 92.1%.
New Delhi, Feb 22 (NationPress) Domestic air passenger traffic in India has maintained its positive momentum in January, reaching an estimated 150.3 lakh passengers, as indicated by a recent report.
This marks a 0.7 percent rise compared to December 2024 and an impressive 14.5 percent increase when compared to January last year.
Moreover, January's traffic has exceeded pre-Covid levels (January 2020) by a robust 17.9 percent, according to the ICRA report.
For the initial ten months of FY25 (April 2024 to January 2025), domestic air passenger traffic totaled 1,372.1 lakh, showing a 7.5 percent year-on-year growth and surpassing pre-Covid figures for the same timeframe in FY20 by 13.0 percent.
International passenger traffic for Indian carriers also exhibited strong growth.
In the first nine months of FY2025, international traffic reached 248.9 lakh passengers, reflecting a 14.5 percent year-on-year increase and a remarkable 41.7 percent rise in comparison to pre-Covid levels.
The report indicates that airlines increased their capacity deployment in January 2025 by 10.8 percent compared to January 2024. However, the capacity was slightly lower (1.2 percent) compared to December 2024.
The domestic aviation sector achieved a passenger load factor (PLF) of around 92.1 percent in January 2025, compared to 89.2 percent in January 2024 and 85.0 percent in pre-Covid January 2020, according to the report.
Fuel expenses, a major component of airline operating costs, have seen some relief.
Although ATF prices were up by 5.3 percent year-on-year from April to July 2024, they fell by 14.7 percent year-on-year from August 2024 to February 2025.
Overall, during the period from April 2024 to February 2025, ATF prices were down by 8.1 percent compared to the same duration in the previous fiscal year, the report stated.
