1.98 mn people flew domestically in June; airline load factor was low: DGCA

A total of 1.98 million passengers travelled domestically in June this year, which is 83.5 per cent lower than the figures of the corresponding period last year, the DGCA said on Friday.

Moreover, the occupancy rate or load factor for five out of six major Indian airlines was between 50 and 60 per cent in June 2020, it said.

"The passenger load factor in the month of June 2020 has shown a sharp decline due to limited air operations because of the Covid-19 outbreak," the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.

The occupancy rate in SpiceJet was 68 per cent in June this year. However, the occupancy rate for other major airlines -- IndiGo, GoAir, Vistara, AirAsia India and Air India -- in the month of June stood at 60.7 per cent, 57.9 per cent, 56.6 per cent, 56.5 per cent and 56.5 per cent, respectively, as per the DGCA.

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

Indian airlines are allowed to operate a maximum of 45 per cent of their pre-Covid domestic flights.

A total of 281,000 air passengers had travelled domestically between May 25 and May 31, the DGCA had said last month.

The DGCA data mentioned that Vistara had the best on-time performance at four metro airports - Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai - at 96.1 per cent in June.

IndiGo and AirAsia India were at number two and three at these four airports with 95.5 per cent and 94.7 per cent on-time performance, respectively, the regulator said.

In June, IndiGo carried 1.18 million domestic passengers, which is 52.5 per cent share of the total domestic market, the DGCA data noted. At number two, SpiceJet carried 382,000 domestic passengers in June, indicating a 16.9 per cent share of the total market.

Air India, AirAsia India, Vistara and GoAir carried 290,000, 162,000, 130,000 and 89,000 domestic passengers respectively in June, the DGCA noted.

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 firings of employees in order to conserve cash flow.