Domestic air passenger traffic grows by 3.01 per cent in July

With the tourist season coming to an end, the domestic air passenger traffic in July increased by just 3.01 per cent compared to July last year, according to the data released by aviation regulator DGCA on Thursday.

The domestic air traffic in July this year consisted of 11.90 million passengers as compared to 11.55 million passengers in the same month last year, a jump of 3.01 per cent, as per the data.

In June this year, the domestic passenger growth was 6.19 per cent compared to the same month last year.

The passenger load factor of all the major airlines -- Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet, GoAir, AirAsia and Vistara -- declined in July as compared to June 2019, as per the DGCA data.

The passenger load factor measures the seat capacity utilization of the airline.

"The passenger load factor in the month of July 2019 has shown declining trend compared to previous month primarily due to the end of tourist season," the DGCA stated in a note.

IndiGo maintained its lead position with 47.8 per cent share of the domestic passenger market in July, the data showed.

SpiceJet's market share decreased from 15.6 per cent in April to 15.5 per cent in July, giving it the number two spot, as per the data.

The market share of Air India, GoAir, AirAsia and Vistara were 14.79 per cent, 13.26 per cent, 7.71 per cent and 7.15 per cent, respectively, in July this year.

Air India topped the list of passenger grievances with 2.1 complaints per 10,000 passengers in the month of July, while SpiceJet was on number two position with 0.8 complaints per 10,000 passengers, as per the DGCA data.