The domestic airlines flew 1.15 crore passengers in March, registering a growth of over 28 per cent over the 90.45 lakh passengers flown during the same month of the previous year.

The latest passenger data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation show that IndiGo retained the number one position among domestic carriers for flying the maximum number of passengers in March at 45.76 lakh. Jet Airways, which carried 17.43 lakh passengers, took the second spot followed by Air India (15.53 lakh) while SpiceJet, which flew 14.74 lakh passengers, took the fourth place.

IndiGo also reported the best on-time performance (OTP) among all the airlines at 84.1 per cent at the four metro airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. SpiceJet took the second spot reporting an OTP of 83.9 per cent followed by Vistara (83 per cent) and Air India (domestic) 76.5 per cent.

SpiceJet, however, was at the first place in terms of passenger load factor as it reported a PLF of 95 per cent followed by IndiGo (89 per cent) and Vistara at third position with a PLF of 88.2 per cent.

Passenger load factor shows how many of the seats on offer by airlines are filled. GoAir reported a PLF of 88 per cent followed by JetLite (87.1 per cent), Jet Airways (86.2 per cent) and Air India (83.6 per cent).

Commenting on SpiceJet’s performance, the airline’s Chief Sales and Revenue Officer Shilpa Bhatia said: “For three years in a row, SpiceJet has flown with the highest load factors in the Indian aviation market. For 35 months in a row, our loads have been in excess of 90 per cent — a feat unparalleled in global aviation history a milestone that we are proud of.”

Compensation

The industry paid ₹1.65 crore as compensation to over 1.68 lakh passengers affected by cancellations and delays in flights.

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