India's domestic air passenger traffic falls 6.5 pc in September

New Delhi, October 27 (IANS): India's domestic aviation sector witnessed a further moderation in passenger demand in September, with domestic air passenger traffic falling 6.49 per cent to 1.18 crore passengers from the previous month, according to the latest data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).IndiGo continued to dominate the domestic skies, carrying 77.30 lakh passengers during the month and commanding a market share of 65.4 per cent.The airline maintained a significant lead over all competitors and accounted for nearly two-thirds of the country's domestic air traffic.The Air India Group remained the second-largest player in the market, carrying 31.65 lakh passengers and securing a market share of 26.8 per cent.Together, IndiGo and the Air India Group accounted for more than 92 per cent of total domestic passenger traffic during September.Akasa Air retained its position as the third-largest domestic carrier, transporting 6.64 lakh passengers and holding a market share of 5.6 per cent.SpiceJet continued to face challenges, with its market share slipping to 0.6 per cent after carrying around 73,000 passengers during the month.The September figures follow a similar trend witnessed in August, when domestic passenger traffic declined 6.34 per cent month-on-month to 1.21 crore passengers.During that month, IndiGo carried 78.87 lakh passengers with a 65 per cent market share, while the Air India Group flew 32.32 lakh passengers and held a 26.7 per cent share of the market.Akasa Air had transported 6.68 lakh passengers in August, accounting for 5.5 per cent of the market, while SpiceJet carried 1.40 lakh passengers and held a market share of 1.2 per cent.Domestic passenger traffic grew 13 per cent year-on-year to 153.6 million passengers in FY24 before moderating to 7.7 per cent growth in FY25, when traffic reached 165.5 million passengers.Growth slowed further to just 1.2 per cent in FY26, with passenger numbers rising to 167.5 million.The moderation has become more pronounced in the current financial year. Domestic passenger traffic declined 5 per cent year-on-year in April 2026 before rebounding with 9 per cent growth in May.However, demand weakened again thereafter, with traffic falling 1 per cent in June, 5 per cent in July, 6 per cent in August and 7 per cent in September.