Fewer flights lift fares in January, no easing likely

The number of domestic flights fell 2.3% in January 2024 to around 187,660 

- Anu Sharma

January saw fewer aircraft taking to the skies and steeper fares as numerous planes await engines and repairs, portending bad times for travellers in the year ahead.

The number of domestic flights fell 2.3% in January 2024 to around 187,660; the number was also down nearly 3% compared to December 2023, per latest data from Airports Authority of India (AAI).

Experts said this is a sign of a challenging year ahead for Indian airlines as they grapple to come to grips with multiple challenges including supply chain issues, suspect engines, grounding of aircraft, and overcrowding at airports leading to strictures on flights.

The fall in January is the first in nearly two years, and a huge change from January 2023, when flights rose 44.2% year-on-year (y-o-y) and 2.5% on-month. The last time the number of flights fell in any month was in February 2022. At the time, the scare of the omicron variant of the coronavirus had impacted travel, and domestic flights dipped 10.6% to 121,850 aircraft movements.

Total domestic aircraft movement in January 2020 (just before the first lockdown in March) was up 3.2% y-o-y at 195,210 flights and up 0.5% compared to December 2019.