According to the latest passenger traffic data from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, InterGlobe Aviation Ltd.-owned IndiGo continued to dominate India's domestic aviation market during the first half of 2026. The airline carried 555.83 lakh passengers during January-June 2026, maintaining its 64.3% market share and further strengthening its dominance in the country's aviation sector. Domestic airlines collectively carried 864.04 lakh passengers during the six-month period, registering an annual growth of 1.44% compared to 851.74 lakh passengers in the corresponding period of 2025, as reported by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
The Air India Group remained the second-largest airline operator with a 25.7% market share, transporting 221.67 lakh passengers during the January-June 2026 period. This positioning reflects the group's continued presence in India's competitive domestic aviation landscape, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation data. The group's market share declined from 25.6% in May, indicating some pressure on its market position despite maintaining its strong operational performance throughout the first half of the year.
Among smaller carriers, Akasa Air continued to consolidate its position in the domestic aviation market, carrying 47.42 lakh passengers during January-June 2026 with a 5.5% market share. This performance demonstrates the airline's growing market presence in India's competitive aviation sector, with its market share rising from 5.8% in May, as reported by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The airline recorded the highest passenger load factor at 92.2% among scheduled domestic airlines in June 2026.
Despite maintaining its position as a major domestic carrier, SpiceJet continued to lose ground in the competitive aviation market, transporting 28.10 lakh passengers during January-June 2026, accounting for 3.3% of the market share. This decline underscores the carrier's ongoing operational challenges as larger rivals continue to expand capacity and capture a bigger share of domestic demand, as reported by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The airline recorded a passenger load factor of 87.8% in June 2026, the second-highest among scheduled domestic airlines.
According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation data, domestic airlines carried 864.04 lakh passengers during January-June 2026 compared to 851.74 lakh in the corresponding period of 2025, registering an annual growth of 1.44%. The passenger load factors for scheduled domestic airlines in June 2026 showed Akasa Air leading at 92.2%, followed by SpiceJet at 87.8%, Air India Group at 85.5%, IndiGo at 85.1%, Star Air at 75.0%, Fly91 at 73.2%, Alliance Air at 61.7%, and Indiaone Air at 59.3%. Airlines spent ₹61.98 lakh in compensation for 43,968 passengers affected by flight cancellations, while ₹2.85 crore was spent on facilities for 1,10,273 passengers impacted by flight delays. The overall cancellation rate stood at 0.63% for scheduled domestic airlines.
