Indian air travel likely on recovery path: CAPA

The Indian aviation market might have turned the corner with domestic air passenger numbers rising 5.7 per cent year-on-year in June 2009, to 3.7 million, says a new report from Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (Capa).

Looking at figures supplied by the Indian ministry of civil aviation, the Capa report said the market, might finally be on the road to recovery after contracting for 12 consecutive months from June 2008.

It said traffic bottomed out in November 2008 when figures plummeted a massive 21.7 per cent year on year.

Thanks to the adoption of a contrarian strategy, Jet Airways became the only Indian carrier to report a decline in traffic for June this year. The carrier focussed on yield as opposed to volume and reported a 17.7 per cent slump, year-on-year, in June. Its low cost subsidiary, JetLite, was down 4.9 per cent.

According to the Capa report, all other domestic carriers, full service and low cost, increased passenger traffic in excess of 12 per cent year-on-year in June. These include state-owned Air India, which grew 12.2 per cent.

IndiGo numbers were up 19.4 per cent, SpiceJet was up 29.5 per cent, Paramount increased by 58.7 per cent, Kingfisher Airlines by 79.5 per cent and GoAir by 86.1 per cent.