Dec air passenger demand strongest since pandemic

Rising airfares, driven by costly jet fuel and aircraft shortage may dampen future demand

- Anu Sharma 

India's aviation industry is navigating a surge in travel demand, with December poised to set a post-pandemic record for passenger numbers. This upswing has led to a noticeable increase in airfares compared with earlier months, as evidenced by data from online travel portals.

Software-as-a-service (SaaS) company RateGain told Mint that outbound flight bookings from India for early December have surpassed the number for the entire month of November.

The company expects a 15-20% monthly increase in bookings for December. Similarly, inbound flights to India are showing a slight uptick, with expectations of a 5-10% month-on-month rise compared with November, Ankit Chaturvedi, vice-president and global head of marketing, RateGain said.

This heightened demand is reflected in the daily average of nearly 450,000 air travellers, as per government data, in December, surpassing the previous 2023 high of 430,000 passengers in May. However, constrained by limited aircraft and parts shortage, this demand spike has led to higher fares compared with October's Navratri and 450, Dussehra season.