India’s domestic air passenger traffic grew 3.74% in 2019 against 18.60% growth in the previous year on the back of a slowdown in the economy, grounding of Jet Airways (India), and a muted consumer demand. Domestic scheduled airlines carried 144.17 million passengers during 2019, against 138.98 million they carried during 2018, data issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Monday showed.
“This is a bit disappointing. In 2019, we faced headwinds on account of Jet Airways but 2020 is going to be different and the double-digit growth should be back sooner rather than later,” said a senior DGCA official, requesting anonymity.
InterGlobe Aviation Ltd’s IndiGo continued its market dominance, carrying nearly one in every two passengers. Its market share, stood at 47.1% during 2019, against 41.5% in 2018. The airline carried 67.91 million passengers in 2019, up from nearly 57.62 million passengers in 2018.
No-frill carrier SpiceJet Ltd flew 21.53 million passengers, achieving a 14.9% market share in 2019. The Ajay Singh-led airline had carried 17.10 million passengers in 2018, registering a market share of 12.3%.
National carrier Air India Ltd registered a 12.7% domestic market share as it flew 18.36 million passengers in 2019. The airline had a similar market share during the previous year.
Read EquityPandit’s Nifty Outlook for the Week