Domestic Airlines Flew Fewer Passengers In August - What DGCA Data Says About Decline In Air Traffic

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Domestic airlines in India flew 1.29 crore passengers in August 2025, representing a slight year-on-year decline as 1.31 crore flyers were carried by them during the same month in the previous year, according to the latest official data.

However, the traffic quantum was higher in August compared to the preceding month, July 2025, which saw 1.26 crore passengers, PTI reported.

Overall traffic in positive territory

Despite the monthly decline, the overall passenger traffic for the first eight months of the year (January to August 2025) reported positive growth.

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Domestic airlines carried approximately 11.07 crore passengers during this period, an annual growth of 4.99 per cent compared to the 10.54 crore passengers in the corresponding period of the previous year, as stated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Market share of IndiGo declined

IndiGo's domestic market share fell to 64.2 per cent in August from 65.2 per cent in July. Whereas, the market share of Air India Group - comprising Air India and Air India Express - rose to 27.3 per cent from 26.2 per cent during the same period.

Meanwhile, the market share of Akasa Air saw a minor dip to 5.4 per cent in August from 5.5 per cent in the previous month, and that of SpiceJet remained unchanged at 2 per cent.

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Government-owned airline Alliance Air's market share slipped to 0.3 per cent in August from 0.4 per cent in July. Star Air and Fly91's market share remained unchanged at 0.5 per cent and 0.2 per cent, respectively.

What caused the decline in air travel?

In August 2025, scheduled domestic airlines received a total of 1,407 passenger-related complaints.

The DGCA data also highlighted that 74,381 passengers were affected by flight delays, with airlines incurring ₹1.18 crore in facilitation costs in August.

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Another notable cause is that as many as 36,362 passengers were impacted by flight cancellations, leading to ₹64.51 lakh being spent by airlines for compensation and facilities. The DGCA also added that a total of 705 passengers were denied boarding, and carriers spent ₹24.52 lakh towards compensation and facilities, the report said.

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