India’s international air traffic reached around 65 million passengers in 2023. This is just 600,000 fewer than in 2019, before the pandemic. Fortunately, the number of passengers flying directly increased by 2 million as compared to 2019. Meanwhile, the number of indirect passengers decreased by 2.5 million to 27 million. That means the proportion of direct passengers rose from 54% in 2019 to 57% in 2023.
What’s Causing More People to Choose Direct Flights?
Notably, several factors contribute to this change. Some of them are:
- Firstly, Indian airlines such as IndiGo and Air India Group have greatly increased their international flights. New airlines have also entered the market – Akasa and foreign. So, this has changed travel patterns and reduced the need for stopovers at hub airports.
- Secondly, more countries now allow direct flights to and from India. For instance, Vietnam and Indonesia have started direct services. Therefore, one-stop flights are now less common unless travelers choose them.
- Thirdly, there is no doubt that Indian airports are becoming popular transfer hubs. For instance, passengers can fly from Kathmandu to New York via Delhi. Indian hubs gained 1 million indirect passengers between 2019 and 2023, while the Middle Eastern hubs lost 1 million and other hubs lost 2.8 million.
How Have Indian Airlines Increased Their International Market Share?
Everyone is shocked that how airlines have significantly increased their international market share? That’s because it reached 43% of passenger traffic in 2023-24, up from less than 35% before the pandemic. This growth increases due to various factors.
Airlines have expanded their route networks by adding new international destinations and direct flights.
More Indians are traveling internationally for a variety of reasons. Some are taking vacations, while others are traveling for business or other purposes.
Now, Indian airlines have better domestic connectivity which allows travelers from smaller cities to easily access international flights.
Furthermore, government policies that limit foreign airlines’ flying rights have helped Indian carriers to grow without too much competition. So, these aspects have positioned Indian airlines to take a larger share of the international market.
What Is the Growth Rate of Domestic Travel for Indian Airlines in 2024
India’s domestic air travel keeps progressing continuously. They carried 79.35 million passengers from January to June 2024. That is a 4% increase as compared to the same time last year. This is the highest number of passengers ever in six months.
The number of people flying within India has more than doubled over the past ten years – from about 38.83 million in 2015 to now. New airports are being built, more people are flying and low-cost airlines are making it easier for everyone to travel. Overall, we can say that air travel in India is growing!