March airlines passenger growth at 5.3%

With the aviation sector continuing to see a spurt in traffic, many domestic airlines posted good growth as they ferried 78.72 lakh passengers in March with no-frills carrier IndiGo carrying most passengers during the same period. While the overall passenger growth stood at around 5.3 per cent, the market share of IndiGo jumped to 38.4 per cent in March, followed by Jet Airways at 17.6 per cent and Air India (14.7 per cent).

Latest data from aviation regulator DGCA released today showed that local airlines carried 78.72 lakh passengers last month compared to 74.76 lakh in February. Over the past several months, more number of people have been travelling by air. In terms of Passenger Load Factor (PLF) -- an indicator of filled seats -- SpiceJet was on top with 91.1 per cent, followed by GoAir (86.3 per cent), IndiGo (85.1 per cent), AirAsia (82.7 per cent) and Air Costa (82.1 per cent).

Among other airlines, the PLF of Jet Airways was at 79.1 per cent while that of JetLite and Air India stood at 77 per cent and 75.7 per cent respectively. According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), PLF of airlines slightly decreased last month, primarily due to the end of tourist season.