Hope floats: Domestic air traffic climbs 23% in March

New Delhi: The worst in the aviation sector seems to be far behind with domestic air traffic continuing the double-digit growth. Domestic airlines flew 39.76 lakh passengers during March this year, up 23% over the corresponding month last year.
As per the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) data, most of the airlines filled over 70% of their seats during this period. The flight occupancy, however, dipped marginally compared with February this year.
“It indicates that airlines have added capacity in March. There is also the seasonality issue,” said airline ticketing service provider InterGlobe Technology Quotient (ITQ) CEO JB Singh.
Most of the carriers are expanding their operations, as the growth in the sector has stabilised on the back of strong economy and improved market sentiment.
While full-service carriers such as Air India and Kingfisher Airlines are cautiously adding flights, the no-frill airlines such as IndiGo and SpiceJet have indicated aggressive fleet induction plans. The domestic airline industry has been in turbulance in the past two financial years, as weak demand, excess capacity and spiralling fuel price had hit it hard. The industry is estimated to have lost about Rs 10,000 crore in 2009-10.
16/04/10 Economic Times

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Apr 2010