India's domestic air passenger traffic declined 6.49% in September to 1.18 crore, as the latest data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) showed a slowdown in passenger numbers. IndiGo continued to dominate the market, accounting for nearly two-thirds of domestic air travel during the month.
IndiGo held the largest market share at 65.4%, carrying 77.30 lakh passengers in September, according to the DGCA data. The airline maintained a substantial lead over its competitors, with the Air India Group occupying the second position.
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The Air India Group recorded a market share of 26.8%, carrying 31.65 lakh passengers during the month. Together, IndiGo and the Air India Group accounted for the overwhelming majority of domestic air passenger traffic.
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Akasa Air ranked third, with a market share of 5.6%. The airline carried 6.64 lakh passengers in September, according to the regulator's figures.
SpiceJet, meanwhile, reported a much smaller presence in the domestic aviation market. Its market share slipped to 0.6%, with the airline carrying around 73,000 passengers during the month.
Earlier in August, according to data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) IndiGo continued to lead India's domestic aviation market with a 65% market share, carrying 78.87 lakh passengers. The Air India group followed with a 26.7% market share, flying 32.32 lakh passengers during the month.
This came as India's domestic air passenger traffic declined 6.34% month-on-month to 1.21 crore in August, amid a broader moderation in air travel demand.
Akasa Air retained third position with a 5.5% market share, carrying 6.68 lakh passengers in August. According to the data, SpiceJet's market share, meanwhile, slipped to 1.2%. The airline carried 1.40 lakh passengers during the month of August.
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India's domestic aviation market, which had been one of the fastest-growing segments of the country's travel economy, is showing signs of a sharp slowdown, with passenger traffic shifting from double-digit annual growth to outright declines in recent months.
According to data compiled by NDTV Profit, domestic passenger traffic rose 13% year-on-year to 153.6 million in fiscal 2024. Growth moderated to 7.7% in fiscal 2025, with passenger traffic reaching 165.5 million. In fiscal 2026, however, traffic increased just 1.2% to 167.5 million.
The slowdown has become more pronounced in the current financial year. Domestic passenger traffic fell 5% year-on-year to 13.8 million in April 2026, before rising 9% in May. Traffic then declined 1% in June, 5% in July, 6% in August and 7% in September.
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