Domestic air travel in India soars

Domestic air travel in India is on the rise. Last month, the country's six domestic airlines carried 4.55 million passengers, up from just over 4 million in September last year.

Air travel within India is on the rise, with a 13 per cent increase in the number of flyers last month.
The country's six domestic airlines carried 4.55 million passengers last month, up from just over 4 million in September last year, data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation show.
The low-cost carrier IndiGo had the highest market share of 30.3 per cent, while Jet Airways had 19.1 per cent, Air India 20.3 per cent, and SpiceJet 17.3 per cent.
There are plans for a series of investments in India's aviation sector after New Delhi permitted foreign investors to acquire equity stakes of up to 49 per cent in Indian carriers.
Etihad Airways, for example, is buying 24 per cent of Jet Airways as part of a US$600 million deal, while Tata Sons plans to launch a budget carrier with AirAsia and a full-service airline with Singapore Airlines.
But Indian carriers have been facing a series of challenges including high fuel taxes, competition and heavy debts. That resulted in the downfall of Kingfisher Airlines, which has not flown for a year.
"The bottom line is that airlines are still losing money like crazy," The Times of India quoted an airline official as saying.
"The massive growth in domestic passengers recorded in August and September is due to low fares, which will now reflect extensive second-quarter losses that listed airlines will declare this week."
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