Domestic air traffic hits 100 million fliers milestone

Domestic air passengers crossed 100 million mark for the first time in 2017, according to the latest statistics available with the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

About 1171.76 lakh passengers travelled as against 998.88 lakh during 2016, registering a growth of 17.3%, according to the data. The air passenger growth during December 2017, when 112.42 lakh passengers travelled, was 17.69% over the same month a year ago.

As per an estimate by airline lobby body, International Air Transport Association (IATA), India will displace the UK as the third-largest aviation market by 2026. The passenger traffic further will reach around 442 million by 2035, which would be about 322 million passengers addition to the current numbers. The domestic passenger growth in India recorded 40th consecutive month of double-digit growth in December. IATA, reports that for Asia-Pacific carriers, the large markets in India, China and Japan mean that domestic travel accounts for 45% of the region's operations.

"The year 2017 ended on a buoyant note for the airline industry with a strong passenger growth in December. Despite localised issues such as bad weather conditions, poor visibility and excessive fog in various parts of the country, the domestic passenger market registered a strong growth of over 17.31% in December over last year. With the airlines announcing airfare sales as we head into the shoulder season and a long weekend ahead, we expect that passenger traffic will continue on the same growth trend in the month of January," Sharat Dhall, COO (B2C), Yatra.com, said.

According to DGCA, the passenger load factor (PLF) in December 2017 showed increasing trend compared to previous month primarily due to the ongoing tourist season.

"It's an exciting time for us. SpiceJet yet again recorded the highest PLF in the industry. The December 2017 figure of 95.6% reinstates our popularity and showcases us an airline for the customers. This is the 33rd month in a row that SpiceJet has had an excess of 90% PLF, a feat unparalleled in the aviation industry," said Shilpa Bhatia, chief sales and revenue officer, SpiceJet.

Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA), an aviation consultancy firm, in October last year had projected that India needs to invest up to $45 billion in order to create additional capacity and related infrastructure for handling of about 500-600 million passengers by 2030 as the existing capacity is likely to saturate within the next five years. The current capacity of the country's top 17 airports stands at around 298-316.5 million passengers per annum, the report said. The numbers are expected to increase to 431-463 million in the next few years as and when the airport sites which are being developed are completed complete.

The same report adds that the capacity at major airport, including Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata will reach their maximum capacity in the next one to five years; the other top 10 airports such as Pune, Jaipur, Srinagar, Lucknow, Dehradun, etc, are already operating beyond their design capacity, the report said.

SOARING HIGH

• About 1171.76 lakh passengers travelled as against 998.88 lakh during 2016
   
• The passenger traffic further will reach around 442 million by 2035