India tops worldwide domestic air traffic demand at 16.4 per cent: IATA

NEW DELHI: India's domestic air passenger traffic grew by 16.4 per cent in November last year, topping the growth chart worldwide, global aviation body, the International Air Transport Association said today.

The IATA, comprising major air carriers, said India continued to witness double-digit growth for the 39th consecutive month.

Globally, the total revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) increased 8 per cent compared to November 2016 -- the fastest growth rate in five months.

The available seat kilometeres (ASKs) or capacity grew by 6.3 per cent.

The ASK for India was at 10.4 per cent, second only to China where capacity grew by 12.9 per cent, according to the IATA's montly data.

"The airline industry is in a good place entering 2018.

November's strong demand gives the industry momentum. The number of unique city-pair connections now tops 20,000.

Passengers not only have more travel choices than ever, the cost of travel in real terms has never been cheaper," IATA's Director General and CEO, Alexandre de Juniac said.

He said that 2018 could be the fourth year in a row where the industry's return on invested capital will exceed the cost of capital.

Challenges, however, remained, including security threats, infrastructure constraints as well as growing fees and charges, Juniac said.