Archive · 21 Aug 2026
India’s July Domestic Air Traffic Falls as IndiGo Gains Share
India’s airlines carried fewer passengers in July 2026 than in June and July 2025.
About 1.20 crore people flew on domestic airlines during the month.
However, the total number of passengers in the first seven months of the year was slightly higher than last year.
IndiGo remained the biggest airline and increased its share of the market to 67.4%.
The Air India Group held the second-largest share at 24%.
Akasa Air and SpiceJet carried fewer passengers and lost market share.
Airlines said capacity was being adjusted as demand changed.
The slowdown was also linked in one report to the monsoon season, higher fares and fuel costs.
IndiGo had the best on-time performance among the airlines listed.
Most flight cancellations were connected to technical problems.
Domestic airlines carried 1.20 crore passengers in July 2026, down 4.8% from 1.26 crore in July 2025 and below June’s 1.346 crore.
Passenger traffic for January-July 2026 reached 984.03 lakh, up 0.64% from 977.79 lakh a year earlier.
IndiGo carried 80.82 lakh passengers and increased its market share to 67.4%, while the Air India Group held 24%.
Akasa Air and SpiceJet lost market share, falling to 5.5% and 1.6%, respectively, in July.
IndiGo recorded the best on-time performance at 91.2%; overall cancellations were 0.62%, with technical issues the leading cause.
- Who
- Indian domestic airlines, including IndiGo, the Air India Group, Akasa Air and SpiceJet, with data reported by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
- What
- Domestic passenger traffic declined in July 2026, while January-July passenger numbers rose slightly year over year and IndiGo expanded its market share.
- When
- July 2026, with comparisons to June 2026 and July 2025; the Directorate General of Civil Aviation data was released on Thursday.
- Where
- India’s domestic aviation market; on-time performance was measured at 10 airports, including Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai.
- Why
- The reports attribute the decline to seasonal monsoon-related weakness, changing demand, higher fares linked to fuel costs and airline capacity rationalisation.
- July passenger traffic
- 1.20 crore passengers, down 4.8% from 1.26 crore in July 2025 and below 1.346 crore in June 2026.
- January-July traffic
- 984.03 lakh passengers, compared with 977.79 lakh during the same period last year.
- IndiGo passengers and share
- 80.82 lakh passengers and a 67.4% market share in July, up from 66.3% in June.
- Air India Group passengers and share
- 28.75 lakh passengers and a 24% market share, compared with 32.22 lakh passengers and 23.9% in June.
- Other major airlines
- Akasa Air carried 6.65 lakh passengers and held 5.5% share; SpiceJet carried 1.87 lakh and held 1.6% share.
- Load factors
- Akasa Air recorded the highest reported load factor at 91.9%; Air India Group recorded 83.2% and IndiGo 82.4%.
- Punctuality and cancellations
- IndiGo had 91.2% on-time performance; scheduled-airline cancellations stood at 0.62%, with technical issues accounting for 39.9%.
