Indian domestic scheduled airlines carried around 123.2 million passengers in 2022 registering a growth of 47 % over the previous year though below domestic passenger volumes registered in 2019 (144 m). Domestic air carriers flew 100.6 m passengers during Jan-Aug '23, an increase of over 30 % in comparison to the corresponding period in 2022 (77.1 m). All restrictions relating to a cap in the number of domestic flights permitted were removed in Oct '21.
Passengers Carried (nos) on Scheduled Domestic Flights (2016) |
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Airline | IATA Code | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
AirAsia India | I5 | 174 996 | 166 829 | 176 832 | 167 422 | 190 379 | 173 192 | 190 509 | 187 620 | 187 920 | 235 607 | 251 322 | 277 261 | 2 379 889 |
Air Carnival | 2S | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 036 | 6 357 | 7 708 | 9 232 | 9 752 | 37 085 |
Air Costa | LB | 58 607 | 56 760 | 54 387 | 64 459 | 65 321 | 62 187 | 65 239 | 55 188 | 50 799 | 51 223 | 52 240 | 49 599 | 686 009 |
Air India | AI | 1 187 246 | 1 121 469 | 1 124 527 | 1 162 486 | 1 296 183 | 1 200 692 | 1 225 114 | 1 189 531 | 1 170 949 | 1 088 303 | 1 127 379 | 1 245 063 | 14 138 942 |
Air India Express | IX | 9 535 | 6 724 | 6 715 | 6 740 | 12 727 | 7 897 | 7 740 | 9 139 | 9 666 | 11 707 | 13 865 | 10 308 | 112 763 |
Air Pegasus | OP | 23 487 | 19 135 | 14 420 | 20 385 | 21 015 | 14 296 | 14 231 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 126 969 |
GoAir | G8 | 618 650 | 595 139 | 655 518 | 676 012 | 700 766 | 663 991 | 716 125 | 674 131 | 686 692 | 688 261 | 719 566 | 780 622 | 8 175 473 |
IndiGo | 6E | 2 818 080 | 2 824 045 | 3 086 455 | 3 141 475 | 3 408 589 | 3 088 436 | 3 416 019 | 3 321 459 | 3 275 496 | 3 706 073 | 3 807 017 | 3 848 322 | 39 741 466 |
Jet Airways | 9W | 1 632 485 | 1 572 812 | 1 587 324 | 1 495 871 | 1 641 970 | 1 516 883 | 1 624 290 | 1 599 498 | 1 524 839 | 1 474 807 | 1 545 399 | 1 696 071 | 18 912 249 |
SpiceJet | SG | 1 010 933 | 976 302 | 1 006 417 | 1 021 299 | 1 096 114 | 1 010 110 | 993 785 | 1 053 603 | 1 029 704 | 1 118 352 | 1 148 498 | 1 094 325 | 12 559 442 |
Trujet | 2T | 29 163 | 25 585 | 27 950 | 32 830 | 40 842 | 34 524 | 29 327 | 30 534 | 32 677 | 39 022 | 40 965 | 31 059 | 394 478 |
Vistara | UK | 150 066 | 148 657 | 158 084 | 182 880 | 221 225 | 226 938 | 225 103 | 205 157 | 203 216 | 232 371 | 260 447 | 304 154 | 2 518 298 |
Passengers Carried (nos) on Scheduled International Flights (2016) |
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Airline | IATA Code | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan-Dec |
Air India | AI | 545 940 | 464 071 | 498 298 | 465 781 | 489 623 | 460 734 | 492 350 | 495 666 | 459 875 | 456 108 | 470 888 | 524 561 | 5 823 895 |
Air India Express | IX | 229 538 | 200 151 | 224 198 | 246 332 | 260 886 | 240 723 | 281 438 | 280 437 | 277 156 | 259 153 | 261 846 | 315 539 | 3 077 397 |
IndiGo | 6E | 139 730 | 134 780 | 152 886 | 142 296 | 146 445 | 136 128 | 151 887 | 137 506 | 143 635 | 160 213 | 164 499 | 187 355 | 1 797 360 |
Jet Airways | 9W | 656 985 | 569 567 | 618 227 | 624 547 | 651 918 | 616 604 | 674 454 | 699 335 | 628 260 | 626 327 | 646 963 | 774 266 | 7 787 453 |
SpiceJet | SG | 122 766 | 126 394 | 146 195 | 139 579 | 142 396 | 129 462 | 138 953 | 129 450 | 137 371 | 136 842 | 136 767 | 151 420 | 1 637 595 |
Announced/Planned New Airline/Air Taxi/Air Freight Operators |
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Fly91 |
Fly91 has announced plans to commence regional air service by end '23 utilizing ATR 72 turboprop aircraft. The airline received a NOC (No Objection Certificate) in Apr and ten UDAN RCS routes have been allocated to airline which include the following locations: Agatti, Bengaluru, Goa/Dabolim, Hyderabad, Jalgaon, Nanded, Pune and Sindhudurg. |
Jet Airways |
Erstwhile Jet Airways which was the among the first private scheduled airlines to operate in India back in the mid 90's folded up operations in Apr '19. The airline's new promoters had announced plans to revive the airline for which the airline received its AOC in May '22, the validity of which lapsed in May '23 and renewed (short-term) in Jul '23. |
Jettwings Airways |
Jettwings Airways, a possible new entrant in the Indian civil aviation market, has announced in Jun '23 receival of a NOC for the operation of scheduled regional air routes in East and Northeast India under the UDAN Regional Connectivity Scheme. The operator would use Guwahati as its base and some reports suggest the Embraer E-series regional jet would be the choice of equipment. |
Spirit Air |
Spirit Air, a Bengaluru based commuter airline operator, has signed a Letter of Intent with aircraft manufacturer Britten-Norman for six BN2T-4S Islander turboprop regional commuter aircraft. The rugged and versatile aircraft is configured to transport nine passengers. |
Zooom Airlines |
Zooom Airlines received an AOC in Sep '23 allowing a relaunch for the erstwhile Zoom Airlines which wound up commercial air services in 2020. The airline operated Bombardier CRJ200 regional jet aircraft on selected domestic routes. |
Scheduled Operators |
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AirAsia India |
AirAsia India operates flights to 21 destinations in India incl. Amritsar, Bagdogra, Bengaluru (hub), Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Imphal, Indore, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nagpur, Ranchi, Pune, Srinagar, Surat and Vizag carrying almost 7.7 million passengers in 2022. AirAsia India is planned to be merged with Air India Express. |
Air India |
A major divestment/restructuring plan (upto 95 % divestment) is underway for Air India although the ongoing pandemic has delayed the process. The final deadline for financial bids was extended to Sep 15 '21. Tata Sons (Tata Group was the original founder of Air India prior to its nationalisation in 1953) took over Air India and Air India Express in a deal worth around ₹ 180 bn incl. a substantial amount of debt (₹ 150 bn) to be cleared. The handover of Air India (incl. Air India Express and 50 % ownership in SATS, a ground handling company) from the Gov't of India to the Tata Group was completed in Jan '22. Announced in Nov '22, Air India and Vistara will be merged into a single airline entity with Singapore Airlines opting for a 25 per cent share post merger. The merger is expected to be completed by Q1/24. As part of its expansion and modernisation plans, Air India finalized at the Paris Air Show '23 its earlier announced order for 470 narrow and widebody passenger aircraft incl. 140 Airbus A320neo, 70 Airbus A321neo, six Airbus A350-900, 34 Airbus A350-1000, 190 Boeing 737 MAX 8/10 (with options for up to 50 additional B737 MAX aircraft), 20 Boeing 787 Dreamliners (with options for up to 20 additional Boeing 787 aircraft), and 10 Boeing 777X aircraft. The first aircraft are scheduled to be delivered by end '23 while delivery of all aircraft is expected to take place over the next eight or so years. Air India's new branding (incl. aircraft livery) was unveiled in Aug '23. Upcoming aircraft to be delivered (starting with the first Airbus A350 scheduled for induction in Dec '23) will feature the new livery. |
Air India Express |
Air India Express is planned to be merged with AirAsia India. |
Akasa Air |
Akasa Air commenced scheduled air services in Aug '22 with the first route pairs being Mumbai-Ahmedabad, Bengaluru-Kochi, Bengaluru-Mumbai and Mumbai-Chennai, The expanding route network covers 17 cities as of May '23 served by over 900 weekly flights. The airline received a no-objection certificate from the Ministry of Civil Aviation and DGCA in Oct '21 and had placed an order for 72 Boeing 737 MAX series 8 and 8-200 high density jet airliners (fitted with CFM LEAP-1B power plants) in Nov '21. A further four Boeing 737-8 aircraft were ordered at the Paris Air Show in Jun '23. Akasa Air received its first aircraft in Jun '22 with a further 19 Boeing 737 MAX jets inducted between Jul '22 and Jul '23. The airline plans to operate a fleet of 72 aircraft by 2027. Akasa Air carried close to 1.14 m passengers in Q1/23 compared to 0.78 m in '22. |
Alliance Air |
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flybig |
Flybig operates a regional air service network covering 14 cities/towns, mainly in Northeast and Central India using ATR-72 and DHC-6 Twin Otter turboprop aircraft. The airline signed a LOI with De Havilland Aircraft of Canada in Mar '22 for the procurement of up to 10 Viking Air Twin Otters. Flybig carried 229 000 passengers in 2022. |
Go First (Inoperative) |
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IndiaOne Air |
Ahmedabad based IndiaOne Air was granted an Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) by DGCA in Jun '22. The airline operates regional air services from Bhubaneswar to various destinations in eastern India incl. Utkela, Jeypore, Visakhapatnam, Jamshedpur, Cooch Behar and Kolkata with two Cessna Caravan 208B single-engine turboprop aircraft. |
IndiGo |
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SpiceJet |
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Star Air |
Star Air flies to Ahmedabad, Ajmer, Belagavi, Bengaluru, Bhuj, Bidar, Hubballi, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Jamnagar, Jodhpur, Kalaburagi, Kolhapur, Mumbai, Nagpur, Surat and Tirupati. The airline's fleet includes five 50-seater Embraer E145 regional jets and three Embraer E175 regional jets. Star Air carried 231 000 passengers in 2022. |
Vistara |
Vistara flies to 43 destinations within India and a few international/regional destination and operates over 250 flights a day with a growing fleet of Airbus A320/321 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. The airline commenced international services in Aug '19. It's main hub is at Delhi IGIA. Vistara carried ca 12.2 m (incl. 0.85 m on international services) passengers in 2022. The airline placed an order for 13 Airbus A320/A321 neo jets and six Boeing 787-9 aircraft in July '18. |
Defunct Operators |
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Air Deccan (Simplifly Deccan, Kingfisher Red) |
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Air Carnival |
Air Carnival, a Coimbatore based airline, operated a few regional services within South India. The airline ceased operations in April 2017. |
Air Costa |
A regional airline based in Vijayawada launched commercial service in Oct 2013 with flights connecting the following eight destinations in India: Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Tirupati, Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada. The airline operated some 16 daily flights until operations ceased in March 2017. |
Air Pegasus |
Air Pegasus operated regional flights within South India from its base at Bengaluru Airport. The airline carried 117 000 passengers in 2015 but had its flying license suspended in Nov '16. |
Indian Airlines |
Indian (earlier Indian Airlines) was a major government owned airline providing an extensive domestic air network. Indian carried approx. 6.6 million passengers in 2008 (770,000 in Oct '09) while total revenues amounted to ₹60.5 bn in 2005-06. Indian operated upto 325 daily flights and carried approx. 1.7 million passengers on its international routes.
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Jet Airways |
Above pic: A Jet Airways B737 at Mumbai's Sahar Airport Terminal IB, used by private airlines. |
JetKonnect (Jet Airways) |
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Kingfisher Airlines |
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MDLR Airlines |
Gurgaon-based MDLR Airlines offered flights between from Delhi to Chandigarh, Kullu, Ranchi, Lucknow, Kolkata and Goa. MDLR's fleet comprised of tthree British Aerospace Avro RJ70 jet aircraft, the only Avro jets (RJ70) ever to be operated by an Indian carrier. The 70-seater aircraft were configured in a two class layout, 6 business and 64 in economy class. |
Paramount Airways |
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TruJet | Hyderabad based TruJet which earlier on operated flights to a slew of destinations incl. Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kadapa, Goa, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaisalmer, Jalgaon, Kandla, Kolhapur, Mumbai, Mysuru, Nanded, Nasik, Probandar, Rajamahendravaram, Salem, Tirupati, Vidyanagar (Jindal Vijyanagar) and Vijayawada. The airline carried 376 000 and 766 000 passengers in 2020 and 2019 respectively. Air services were more or less non-existant by Q1/22 and thereafter. |
Zoom Air | Zoom Air operated earlier on a few regional routes using 50-seater Bombardier CRJ200 jet aircraft. The airline carried approx. 27 000 passengers during 2017/18. The airline was grounded in mid-2018 but is reported to have introduced a flight service between Delhi and Agra in 2019. The airline is reported to be facing an insolvency proceeding as of Apr '22. |
All-Cargo/Couries Operators |
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Blue Dart Aviation Ltd. |
Blue Dart Aviation's fleet consists of two Boeing 737-800 and six Boeing 757-200 freighter aircraft. Air freighter services connect seven major cities in India on a daily basis and Guwahati is expected to be served within '23. |
Quikjet Airlines |
Quikjet Airlines operates Boeing 737-800 freighter service to Hyderabad, Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai. |
Pradhaan Air Express |
Pradhaan Air Express received a passenger-to-freighter converted Airbus A320-200P2F jet in Jul '22 making the aircraft the first converted A320 freighter in the world. Freighter services commenced in Oct '22. |
SpiceXpress | SpiceXpress operates freighter air services with a fleet of three Boeing 737-700F freighters. |
Non-scheduled/Miscellaneous/Seaplane Operators |
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Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd. |
Pawan Hans operates a fleet of 42 helicopters comprising of 17 Dauphin SA365N18, 14 Dauphin AS 365N3, 3 Bell 206L4, 3 Bell 407, 2 AS 350 B3 and 3 Mil Mi-172. Jal Hans is a seaplane service operating a Cessna 208A in the Andaman Islands. Revenues amounted to ₹ 4.6 billion in 2017-18. |
Maritime Energy Heli Air Services Pvt Ltd. (MEHAIR) | MEHAIR operates intra-island amphibian air services in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The company has placed an order for ten Jekta PHA-ZE 100 electric amphibian aircraft with options for 40 more. Deliveries of the aircraft are expected to begin in 2029. |
Deccan Aviation Pvt. Ltd. |
Offers helicopter charter services. Deccan Aviation's chopper fleet includes of 5 Bell 206, 1 Bell 212, 2 Bell 407, 2 Ecurueil AS 355, 1 Eurocopter AS355F2 helicopters and two fixed wing single turboprop Pilatus PC-12 aircraft. The company launched in 2003 India's first low-cost regional airline, Air Deccan (see Simplifly Deccan above).. |
Kerala Seaplane | |
Seabird Seaplane | |
Oberoi Aviation |
Operates one Hawker 125-700B executive jet and one King Air C-90A turbo-prop. |
Mesco Airlines |
Operates two Ecureil and one M-172 helicopter. |
Million Air |
Million Air offers a fleet of three helicopters and one Cessna Citation aircraft for charter. |
Trans Bharat Aviation |
Operates 2 Beech 99, one Piper Seneca-IV aircraft, 2 Bell 206 and one Bell 407 helicopter |
Taj Air |
Fleet includes two Falcon 2000 jets. |
UB Air |
UB Air has a fleet of two Bell 212s and one Alouette helicopter. |
Orient Flights |
A Chennai based air charter service provider with a fleet of Piper Seneca III, Beechcraft King Air and Beechjet 400 |
United Helicharters Pvt. Ltd. |
A Chennai based air charter service provider with a fleet of 4 Bell 212, 2 Bell 412 and 2 Sikorsky S76 helicopters. |
Club One Air |
Provides fractional aircraft ownership with a fleet five Cessna Citation Excel's and Citation CII's, three Eurocopter EC135's and one turboprop. |
Himalayan Heli Services |
Specializes in mountain flying with a chopper fleet of two Cheetah/SA 315B and one Chetak SA 316 B. |
Deccan Express Logistics |
India's newest freighter operator under the brand Deccan 360 plans to fly (wef May 27) 5xweekly on a route covering Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hong Kong and Dubai with Airbus A310F equipment. The company also plans to acquire smaller capacity ATR aricraft for domestic cargo operations. |
¹ Provisional data |