INCREASE IN DOMESTIC AIR TRAFFIC

The domestic aviation sector continues to be on a growth trajectory with latest figures showing a growth of 23.10 per cent in air traffic till November 2016 compared with the same period last year. Low-cost carrier SpiceJet continued to lead in the regime of seat occupancy while IndiGo garnered 42.1 per cent market share. IndiGo, the market leader for years, has crossed the 40 per cent mark for the third consecutive month while SpiceJet has topped the list of seat occupancy for the past 19 months. According to statistics released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), domestic carriers flew 903.36 lakh people in the first 11 months of 2016 compared with 733.82 lakh during the corresponding period in 2015. November alone witnessed a 22.45 per cent rise in the number of fliers, 89.66 lakh against 73.22 lakh in the same month last year. This is the 28th consecutive month that the domestic traffic has registered a double-digit growth. All the airlines recorded a marginal decrease in seat occupancy. SpiceJet was the leader in this area with 92.5 per cent against 91.9 per cent in October 2016.