India’s domestic aviation sector witnessed a slowdown in April 2026, with passenger traffic declining amid rising operational costs and relatively softer travel demand.

According to data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), domestic airlines carried more than 1.38 crore passengers during April, compared to 1.44 crore passengers in March. This represents a month-on-month decline of 4.2%. On a year-on-year basis, traffic was also down by 3.47% compared to the more than 1.43 crore passengers carried in April last year.

DGCA stated that domestic airlines carried 575.49 lakh passengers during the January–April 2026 period, compared to 575.13 lakh passengers during the corresponding period of the previous year, reflecting a marginal annual growth of 0.06%.

The aviation sector continued to face multiple challenges during the month, including higher fuel prices, increased operating costs, and slower demand growth. Several airlines also adjusted their networks and schedules in response to the evolving market conditions.

IndiGo further strengthened its position as the country's largest airline, increasing its market share to 65% in April from 63.3% in March. Meanwhile, the Air India Group's market share declined to 24.7% from 26.2% during the same period.

Akasa Air continued to gain ground, with its market share rising to 5.8% in April from 5.4% in March. SpiceJet's share declined from 3.8% to 3.4%, while state-owned Alliance Air saw its market share fall from 0.6% to 0.3%.

On the operational front, IndiGo recorded the highest On-Time Performance (OTP) among major domestic carriers at 88.5%. Air India Group followed with 82.4%, while Akasa Air achieved 81.4%. Alliance Air recorded an OTP of 71.2%, and SpiceJet reported 31.2%.

The OTP data was calculated across ten major airports, including Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Cochin, Guwahati, and Lucknow.

DGCA data also highlighted passenger service disruptions during the month. A total of 3,266 passenger-related complaints were received by scheduled domestic airlines in April, translating to 2.36 complaints per 10,000 passengers carried.

Flight delays continued to impact travellers, with around 1.12% of flights delayed by more than two hours. More than 1.35 lakh passengers were affected by delays, prompting airlines to spend over ₹2.41 crore on passenger facilitation measures.

Flight cancellations affected 77,065 passengers during the month, with airlines paying ₹2.04 crore towards compensation and passenger facilities. Additionally, 641 passengers were denied boarding, resulting in compensation and facilities amounting to ₹57.65 lakh.

Despite the temporary decline in traffic, the Indian aviation sector continues to see strong competition among carriers as airlines balance network expansion, operational efficiency, and evolving passenger demand.