Air traffic falls 7.6 per cent in July, IndiGo’s market share at 58.8 per cent: DGCA

NEW DELHI: Domestic air traffic fell 7.6 per cent month-on-month in July 2022 to 97 lakh passengers, aviation regulator DGCA said on Thursday. About 1.05 crore domestic passengers boarded planes in June. Since May 2022 when domestic traffic reached the pre-covid level of 1.20 crore/month, there has been a steady decline in domestic passenger movement.

While the government has attributed this decline to the rainy season when demand for air travel is generally low, there is no denying that the steep surge in air ticket prices has forced many passengers to either postpone their travel plans or find an alternative.

Arun Kumar, DGCA director general, said they expect a speedy recovery in passenger numbers and foresee traffic reaching the pre-Covid levels in the fourth quarter of the year with the removal of the fare cap from September 1. IndiGo -- India’s largest carrier -- carried 57.11 lakh passengers in July.

Its market share in the domestic market increased to 58.8 per cent in July 2022 as against 56.9per cent in June 2022. Tata Group-run Vistara flew 10.13 lakh passengers and Air India flew 8.14 lakh passengers in July.