DGCA Says 1.06 Crore Domestic Flyers Travelled In March; 38 Per Cent More Than February

DGCA said the passenger load factors, which also means occupancy rates, were above 80 per cent for all Indian private carriers in March

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in its report has said that around 1.06 crore domestic flyers travelled in March. The figure is nearly 38 per cent more than 76.96 lakh passengers in February, DGCA said.

In its monthly statement, the DGCA said the passenger load factors, which also means occupancy rates, were above 80 per cent for all Indian private carriers in March.

According to the report, the occupancy rates of SpiceJet, IndiGo, Vistara, Go First, Air India, and AirAsia India were 86.9 per cent, 81 per cent, 86.1 per cent, 81.4 per cent, 85 per cent and 81.3 per cent, respectively, in March 2022.

Alliance Air, the government-run regional carrier, recorded a load factor of 74 per cent in March.

In the past two years, the aviation sector was highly impacted because of several travel curbs in India and abroad in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. All regular international passenger flight operations resumed on March 27.

India’s largest carrier, IndiGo, flew 58.61 lakh passengers in March, a 54.8 per cent share of the domestic market, the DGCA said.

While Go First was in the second spot as it carried 10.44 lakh passengers in March. SpiceJet flew 10.21 lakh passengers and Air India carried 9.36 lakh passengers, according to the DGCA data.

Vistara, AirAsia India, and Alliance Air carried 8.9 lakh, 6.98 lakh, and 1.45 lakh passengers, respectively.

Airlines' on-time performance

In terms of on-time performance, the DGCA data revealed that in March IndiGo had the best on-time performance of 93.9 per cent at four metro airports -- Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Mumbai.

Go First and Vistara were at the second and third spots at these four airports in March, with 93 per cent and 91.9 per cent on-time performance respectively. 

IndiGo in a statement said, "The DGCA report is a testament to the IndiGo team's dedication to being true to its promise of on-time performance. IndiGo had the best on-time performance of 93.9 per cent in March 2022. With the resumption of international operations, we will continue to provide affordable, on-time, safe and hassle-free travel experience to our customers onboard our lean clean flying machines."