Indian domestic traffic up by 23% in Aug; total traffic at 95.7%

In a remarkable turn of events, the Indian aviation market experienced a robust resurgence in August 2023, characterized by significant growth in domestic revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) and soaring passenger demand. This resurgence has occurred alongside the global recovery of passenger traffic, which continued to strengthen post-pandemic.According to data released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Indian domestic RPKs surged by an impressive 23.2 percent compared to the same period last year. This marks the seventh consecutive month of growth and, notably, surpasses pre-pandemic levels. India's contribution to the world's domestic passenger market stands at 2.0 percent.Furthermore, the Indian aviation sector also witnessed a 15.6 percent growth in available seat kilometers (ASK), indicating increased capacity. Passenger load factor (PLF) also experienced a noteworthy improvement, rising by 5.1 percentage points to reach an impressive 83.9 percent.IATA's report highlights that the total domestic traffic in India for August exhibited a substantial increase of 25.4 percent compared to August 2022, surpassing results from August 2019 by an impressive 9.2 percent. This remarkable growth was primarily driven by robust demand in the Chinese domestic market. However, Japan faced disruptions caused by Typhoon Khanun, which had a slight impact on its domestic air travel market, resulting in a growth rate of 8.7 percent, marginally lower than the previous month.The resurgence in the Indian aviation market underscores the sector's resilience and recovery, setting a positive trajectory for the industry's future in the region.