New Delhi, Feb 22, 2025, IANS

New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) Domestic air passenger traffic in India continued its upward trend in January, reaching an estimated 150.3 lakh passengers, according to a new report. This represents a 0.7 per cent increase compared to December 2024 and a significant 14.5 per cent jump compared to January last year. Furthermore, January this year traffic surpassed pre-Covid levels (January 2020) by a robust 17.9 per cent, according to ICRA report. For the first 10 months of FY25 (April 2024 to January 2025), domestic air passenger traffic totalled 1,372.1 lakh, demonstrating a 7.5 per cent year-on-year growth and exceeding pre-Covid levels for the same period in FY20 by 13.0 per cent. International passenger traffic for Indian carriers also showed strong performance. In the first nine months of FY2025, international traffic reached 248.9 lakh passengers, marking a 14.5 per cent year-on-year increase and a substantial 41.7 per cent rise compared to pre-Covid levels. According to the report, airlines expanded their capacity deployment in January 2025 by 10.8 per cent compared to January 2024. However, capacity was slightly lower (1.2 per cent) compared to December 2024. The domestic aviation industry achieved a passenger load factor (PLF) of approximately 92.1 per cent in January 2025, compared to 89.2 per cent in January 2024 and 85.0 per cent in pre-Covid January 2020, said the report. Fuel costs, a significant component of airline operating expenses, saw some relief. While ATF prices were higher by 5.3 per cent year-on-year from April to July 2024, they decreased by 14.7 per cent year-on-year from August 2024 to February 2025. Overall, for the period of April 2024 to February 2025, ATF prices were lower by 8.1 per cent compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year, the report mentioned.