Domestic air traffic clocks 9% growth in January, slowest in four years

Domestic air traffic clocked 9.1 per cent growth in January, the slowest in four years, on higher fares and lower capacity addition. Last month, domestic aircraft carry 12.5 million passengers as against 11.4 million in the same period last year.

Air traffic in India has been growing at double digits for over 50 months in a row though the rate slowed down in the past few months. The slippage in January, on the back of higher fares, indicates airlines are focusing on yield growth at the expense of load factors. The average fares were around 15-20 per cent higher compared to