25% domestic traffic in India from metros, rest from smaller cities WHAT THE STUDY FOUND

Flying in India is no more restricted to metros, according to an analysis of domestic flight bookings seen in November and December last year.

The study, conducted by travel portal MakeMyTrip, states about one-fourth of domestic air traffic in India comes from metros and top tier 2 cities, while the rest (76.6%) comes from smaller cities.

Metros and top tier-2 cities contribute mainly to traffic on top 15 domestic routes in metro cities namely Mumbai, Delhi, emerging tier-2 cities such as Pune and popular tourist hubs such as Goa, states the study.

“The air travel market in India has grown rapidly in one year due to lower airfares, increased seat capacity and expansion of the Indian economy that has resulting in higher disposable incomes. Air travel bookings have expanded beyond top cities, which is reflecting in our findings with almost 76.6% of air traffic coming from outside of the top 15 sectors,” said Rajesh Magow, co-founder and chief executive officer (India), MakeMytrip.

The study said despite initial reports of a demonetisation-induced slump in travel, smaller airports namely Silchar (100%), Jodhpur (82%), Indore (41%), Dimapur (41%) and Amritsar (30%) saw a surprising surge in travellers.

Among airports in metro cities, Kolkata (32%) saw the biggest surge in footfall, followed by Delhi (10%).

HT had reported about a steep spike in air ticket sales two days after the government banned Rs500 and Rs1,000 notes.

The study stated most prefer booking flight tickets early than those buying them closer to the date of travel, as it costs less.