India’s domestic air passenger traffic fell nearly 12% in June compared to May as seasonal demand softened, while IndiGo strengthened its market leadership.
Key Highlights
- Domestic air traffic fell 11.8% to 13.5 million passengers in June from 15.3 million in May.
- Passenger traffic remained broadly stable compared to 13.6 million recorded in June 2025.
- IndiGo’s market share increased to 66.3%, maintaining its industry leadership.
- Air India Group’s market share declined to 23.9% during the month.
- Akasa Air improved its market share to 6.4%, while SpiceJet slipped to 1.9%.
- Domestic airlines carried 864.04 lakh passengers during January–June 2026, up 1.44% year-on-year.
- IndiGo recorded the highest on-time performance (OTP) at 89.4%.
- Airlines paid over ₹4.1 crore towards passenger compensation, delays and denied boarding in June.
Domestic Air Travel Slows Seasonally
India’s domestic aviation market witnessed a seasonal slowdown in June, with passenger traffic falling nearly 12% month-on-month to 13.5 million, according to the latest data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Compared to June 2025, however, traffic remained almost unchanged, indicating that the decline was largely driven by the industry’s typical lean travel season during June, July and August.
IndiGo Expands Market Leadership
IndiGo further strengthened its dominance in the domestic aviation market by increasing its market share from 64.9% in May to 66.3% in June.
Meanwhile, the Air India Group saw its share decline from 25.6% to 23.9% during the same period.
Among other airlines, Akasa Air continued to gain ground, increasing its market share to 6.4%, while SpiceJet‘s share fell to 1.9%.
Passenger Growth Remains Positive
Despite the monthly decline, India’s domestic aviation sector maintained positive annual growth.
Between January and June 2026, domestic airlines carried 864.04 lakh passengers, compared with 851.74 lakh during the same period last year, reflecting 1.44% year-on-year growth.
The DGCA also noted that airlines had temporarily reduced flight operations due to higher aviation fuel prices during the West Asia conflict.
On-Time Performance And Passenger Compensation
IndiGo topped the on-time performance rankings with an 89.4% OTP, followed by the Air India Group at 85.9%, Akasa Air at 82.7%, Alliance Air at 74.7%, and SpiceJet at 33.5%.
During June, domestic airlines reported an overall cancellation rate of 0.63%.
Airlines paid nearly ₹61.98 lakh in compensation for passengers affected by flight cancellations, ₹2.85 crore for delays impacting over 1.1 lakh passengers, and ₹64.84 lakh to passengers denied boarding.
