IndiGo tops on-time performance; SpiceJet faces highest cancellation rate among major carriers

India's domestic aviation sector had grown by 8.19% year-on-year in 2024 as against 15.20 million passengers in 2023, reaching 16.13 million, as per the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) report. It showed steady recovery and increasing demand in the domestic air travel sector.
In terms of on-time performance, IndiGo led the pack. IndiGo was found to be on top in the domestic carriers of OTP at significant airports, Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad at 73.4%. In contrast, Air India stood second at 67.6% while Akasa Air managed a respectable OTP at 62.7%.

Cancellation of flights: SpiceJet is on the top among major carriers:

SpiceJet reported the highest flight cancellation rate by bigger commercial airlines at 1.81%, while IndiGo recorded 1.17%. The total cancellation rate by domestic airlines for the calendar month of December 2024 stands at 1.07%. Regional airlines experienced more cancellations- Fly Big topped at 19.23% followed by Alliance Air with 4.35% and IndiaOne Air at 2.83%.

Cause of cancellations

DGCA had attributed cancellations to multiple reasons, while 44.4% resulted from miscellaneous causes, 27.2% due to bad weather, 20.8% technical causes, 6.4% operational challenges, and 1.3% for commercial causes.

Passenger grievances: A concerning trend

In December 2024, domestic airlines received a total of 817 passenger complaints, which is 0.55 complaints per 10,000 passengers. The top grievances have been reported by the regional carriers such as Fly Big, SpiceJet, and Alliance Air. Complaints over baggage-related issues accounted for 25.8%, while complaints on delays in refunds received 21.3% percent and customer service 7.7%.

Future of domestic aviation

Passenger growth and improvement in performance parameters suggest a bright future for India's aviation industry. However, the sector needs to address some persistent issues such as flight cancellations and passenger grievances to ensure sustained growth and customer satisfaction.