Summary India has been one of the fastest-growing airline markets in the world, with the country's population surpassing 1.4 billion people. IndiGo was the leading airline in terms of market share as of June 2024.
Air India and Vistara are the other two leading carriers in India. India has been one of the fastest-growing aviation markets in the world, being recognized by foreign airlines, aircraft manufacturers, and executives as a country that could potentially outgrow the Chinese market. India's population has almost caught up to or surpassed China's, with the United States Census Bureau's data showing that in 2023, the former had 1.
4 billion inhabitants, while the latter had a population of 1.416 billion. Meanwhile, The World Bank data showed that India has more people than China, with the two countries being home to 1.
428 billion and 1.41 billion, respectively. Whatever the case might be, India's aviation market was still in its early development phase, with many of the country's airlines going bust in recent years.
This included Kingfisher Airlines , Jet Airways , and Go First, previously known as GoAir , with SpiceJet, another Indian low-cost carrier, battling debts to survive. At the same time, Indian carriers definitely have a lot of ambition, which includes huge aircraft backlogs following massive aircraft orders. Once Air India was finally privatized and has been owned by Tata Group, an Indian conglomerate, the carrier went on a shopping spree, buying hundreds of aircraft for its future growth.
IndiGo, India's largest airline in terms of passenger numbers, has also been buying aircraft and expanding its business model, which will include business class offerings on certain domestic routes within the country. Indian airline aircraft delivery backlogs Airbus (data valid as of July 31) Boeing (data valid as of June 30, Jet Airways orders not included) Air India 244 (70 A320neo, 140 A321neo, 14 A350-900, 20 A350-100) 194 (164 737 MAX, 10 777X, 20 787-9) Akasa Air 0 202 737 MAX IndiGo 966 (260 A320neo, 676 A321neo, 30 A350-900) 0 SpiceJet 0 129 737 MAX (no new deliveries since 2019) Total 1,210 525 According to data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) , during the first six months of the year, Indian airlines welcomed 79.4 million passengers or 4.
2% more year-on-year (YoY). While India has invited both Airbus and Boeing to begin assembling aircraft in the country, could its ambitions take the country further? 1 IndiGo Starting from the top, IndiGo is by far the largest airline in India. In Q1 and Q2, the low-cost carrier carried 23.
5 million and 24.5 million passengers, respectively, with the airline ending Q2 with a market share of 61%, DGCA data showed. The airline will attempt to cement its status as the leading airline in India, especially as competition has heated up after Tata Group acquired Air India.
On August 5, IndiGo, celebrating its 18th anniversary, announced that it would introduce business class on 12 routes connecting metro cities in India, as well as its frequent flier program, 'BlueChip.' India's largest airline is rolling out the loyalty program alongside new seats and a business class cabin as it celebrates its 18th birthday. 2 Air India The second-largest airline in India was Air India .
As mentioned before, the carrier has set out an ambitious growth plan since its acquisition by Tata Group, which includes a still-pending merger with Vistara, another airline where Tata Group was involved in a joint venture with Singapore Airlines. DGCA data showed that year-to-date (YTD) in 2024, Air India had a market share of 14.2%, with the airline carrying 4.
9 million passengers in Q1 and 5.6 million passengers in Q2, making it the second-largest airline in India in terms of passenger numbers. Discover more aviation news here.
The cabin design seamlessly integrates the airline's identity, and there are no visual indications of its previous ownership. 3 Vistara The Indian regulator detailed that in terms of market share, Vistara was the third-largest airline in India, ending H1 as the airline that carried 9.4% of the passengers that boarded Indian airlines' flights during the first six months of the year.
In Q1, the carrier welcomed 3.8 million travelers, which decreased to 3.7 million by the end of Q2.
The carrier was one of the few Indian airlines that had fewer passengers by the second quarter of the year, joining other airlines in the country whose market share had also decreased during the period. Here is how the remaining Indian airlines fared during the first six months of the year: Airline Passenger numbers (Q2) Market share (Q2) AIX Connect 2 million 5.1% Akasa Air 1.
8 million 4.7% SpiceJet 1.6 million 4.
2% Alliance Air 397,000 1% Star Air 169,000 0.4% Fly91 24,000 0.1% However, some airlines' market share deteriorated as the year progressed.
For example, in Q1, AIX Connect carried 2.3 million passengers, resulting in a market share of 6%, while SpiceJet, which ended the first quarter of 2024 with a market share of 5.4%, saw 2.
1 million people board its aircraft in Q1. Other carriers grew their operations, such as Akasa Air, which ended Q1 with 1.7 million passengers and a market share of 4.
5%. The airline will merge with another Indian full-service carrier called Vistara..
