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India's air passenger doubled over the last decade, but the top routes, in terms of seats deployed, reportedly continues to be the same.
The Indian Express, quoting data from civil aviation research firm OAG, reported that Delhi-Mumbai-Delhi, Delhi-Bengaluru-Delhi and Delhi-Mumbai-Delhi continue to be the routes with most passenger traffic in 2017, just like it was in 2007.
Interestingly, Delhi-Pune-Delhi’s ranking jumped nearly 10 places, with it ranking sixth in 2017, but fifteenth in 2017. Routes like the Delhi-Lucknow-Delhi and the Delhi-Kolkata-Delhi and Delhi Ahmedabad-Delhi which reportedly which saw sluggish growth till 2014, recorded a jump in the number of seats allocated.
In Mumbai, no route other than Mumbai-Dubai-Mumbai route saw an increase in ranking. Notably, Dubai is the only international destination in the top 17 routes of the country.
The Mumbai-Chennai-Mumbai route, and the Mumbai-Ahmedabad-Mumbai route along with the Mumbai-Kolkata-Mumbai route fell down the order.
The total number of seats allocated on the Delhi-Ahmedabad-Delhi route increased from around 12.62 lakh in 2007 to 25.18 lakh in 2017 — seeing double the number seats for the route a decade later.
While Mumbai-Chennai-Mumbai sector saw 14 percent growth during the decade, in terms of seats, the Mumbai-Bengaluru-Mumbai sector grew by 18 percent. Popular route of Delhi-Mumbai also reportedly grew 37 percent during the decade.
This increase in air traffic growth post-2014 is reportedly linked to the rise in number of air passengers across the globe which according to experts is driven by the fall in prices of crude oil.
The airline industry has a turbulent past. Buffeted by uncontrollable external input costs and regular assaults on traffic demand, it has rarely achieved even modest profitability. Where profitability has occurred, it was usually at the expense of traffic growth, inhibited by protectionist regulation. Yet, over the past two or three years, almost every facet of the industry has excelled.Aviation Consultant to The Indian Express
(With inputs from The Indian Express)
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