Domestic air traffic rose 4.5 per cent in May on a month-on-month basis fuelled by increase in summer leisure travel. Carriers flew 13.79 million passengers in May compared to 13.2 million in the previous month with higher seat occupancy.
IndiGo gained market share, strengthening its number one position. In May, the airline flew over 8.5 million passengers registering 61.6 per cent market share for the month. Akasa Air too increased its market share from 4.4 per cent to 4.8 per cent at the expense of Air India and SpiceJet.
Air India hit
Cabin crew agitation and initial glitches in the functioning of the crew scheduling app hit Air India Express’ operations leading to a drop in passengers and market share for the airline in May. Vistara, which was forced to axe nearly 25-30 flights daily in April, improved its performance in May reporting fewer cancellations compared to peers. Akasa Air reported the best punctuality with 85.9 per cent on time flights at four metro airports.
According to Cleartrip.com, Goa, Bagdogra, Srinagar, Port Blair and Varanasi are among the top booked destinations for summer travel. "The travel frenzy was at an all-time high, this summer. This year, notably, there was a clear preference for cooler climates (Srinagar and Bagdogra). Also, Bagdogra is the closest airport to Sikkim, which could be another factor fuelling bookings to this destination," the portal said.