Domestic Air Passenger Traffic Growth at 16.3% in June: Industry Body
New Delhi: India clocked a healthy 16.3 per cent growth in domestic air passenger traffic in June, the highest among seven major international markets including the US and China as the airlines kept their fares low to stimulate demand coupled with improved economic climate during the period, a report by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Thursday.
The global domestic traffic during this period grew by 6.5 per cent with China clocking 12.1 per cent, followed by Russian Federation, which posted a sub-10 per cent growth in June, IATA said.
Domestic travel demand rose 6.5 per cent in June compared to June 2014, with the strongest growth occurring in India, China and the Russian Federation, it said, adding that the total domestic capacity was up 6 per cent while the seat factor rose by 4 percentage points to 82.2 per cent in the month.
On domestic markets, India continues to record very strong growth, up 16.3 per cent, likely owing to market stimulation by local carriers as well as notable improvements in economic growth, the global airlines umbrella organisation said.
The international passenger demand during in June 2015 stood at 5.3 per cent over the year-ago period, IATA said.
"Dialogue between industry and government is critical to finding win-win solutions... That is what we are hoping for in India with the imminent announcement of its new aviation policy," IATA director general and chief executive Tony Tyler said.
Noting that improved air connectivity would make a major contribution to the government's efforts to make it easier to do business in India, Mr Tyler said, "For that, we need a policy framework that reduces onerous taxes and regulation and that continues to improve infrastructure and cost efficiency."
"Aviation has much to contribute to any country's economy. But it will not happen by accident. The peak travel season should serve as a reminder to all governments of the importance of aviation policies focused on enabling aviation to catalyse economic growth."
