NEW DELHI: With the deadly Covid’s second wave subsiding, India saw 50.1 lakh people fly within the country this July — up 61% from 31.1 lakh in the previous month. January, February and March, 2021, saw aviation stage a smart recovery with over 77 lakh domestic passengers in each of those months.
Then as the devastating second wave intensified, the numbers fell to 57.2 lakh in April with the ebb coming in deadly May at 21.1 lakh. Since then as the situation gradually improved, the numbers started looking up. First rising to 31.1 lakh in June and then touching 50-lakh mark last month.
In July, 2021, DGCA data shows IndiGo dominated domestic skies with 58.6% market share. After it, only Air India had domestic market share in double digits at 13.4%. All other airlines were in single digits with major players at — SpiceJet (9.1%), Vistara (8.1%) and GoAir (6.8%).
AirAsia India (AAIPL) has shrunk and accounted for only 3.3% market share. In contrast, AirAsia India’s domestic market share was at 7.3% in pre-Covid February 2020. The Tata Group has bid for Air India through AAIPL.
Last month saw SpiceJet’s domestic flights filled the most with 74.6% aircraft occupancy, followed by Vistara at 69.2%.
