The world is coming back to normal and at a much faster rate than we had expected. With increasing vaccination, fear of the coronavirus might be waning in the minds of people throughout the country. And given the season of festivities throughout the nation, the long Dussehra weekend saw the highest number of single-day domestic air travelers since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
Domestic Flyers Hit New Record
October 9 witnessed the most number of travelers taking to the skies, since the start of the pandemic. It crossed the mark of three lakh for the first time during this period. Union aviation minister J M Scindia, tweeted, “The civil aviation sector in India thrives amidst unprecedented challenges, whilst we make every effort to return to normalcy as early as possible.”
According to data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) shows that recovery post-second wave with the number of domestic flyers in September 2021, touched 70.7 lakh. This number has increased from 67 lakh (August); 50 lakh (July); 31 lakh (June) with the lowest of 21 lakh seen this May, the deadly second wave’s peak month.
It should be noted that scheduled domestic flights were suspended from March 25 to May 24, 2020. The lowest number of air travelers during the pandemic was seen in June 2020 at 19.8 lakh and 21 lakh last July. Even though the recovery started last July, it was dented by the second wave.
Vistara Beats SpiceJet To Become 3rd Biggest Airlines
September also witnessed IndiGo leading in domestic market share at 56.2% and Air India a very distant second at 12.1%. Notably, Vistara (8.7%) overtook SpiceJet (8.5%) to become the third-biggest airline in terms of flying people within India. The combined market share of Tata Joint Ventures, Vistara, and AirAsia India (5.8%), was 14.5%. If we add a share of AI which is soon going to be in its fold, the figure is 26.6%. This value is almost a quarter of the market but it is still less than half of IndiGo’s figure.
If the Tatas properly manage the sudden increase of their fleet and flight post-AI acquisition, then the Group will have a significant domestic market share. At the same time, the entry of Rakesh Jhunjhunwala’s Akasa Air will intensify the competition in Indian Skies. The group of investors who are reviving Jet also hope to fly by next March, though detailed plans are not yet unveiled.
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