Domestic air passenger traffic up 10% in April; ICRA forecasts 7–10% growth in FY26

India's domestic air passenger traffic surged by 10.2% year-on-year in April 2025, reaching 145.5 lakh passengers. While capacity deployment increased annually, it dipped slightly compared to March 2025.

Domestic air travel in India continued to rise, with passenger traffic registering a 10.2 per cent year-on-year (YoY) increase in April 2025, according to a recent report by ratings agency ICRA. 

The total number of domestic air passengers during the month is estimated at 145.5 lakh, up from 132.0 lakh in April 2024. However, the growth remained flat on a month-on-month basis.

ICRA noted that airline capacity deployment in April 2025 was 6.9 per cent higher than in the same month last year. However, it fell by 4.2 per cent when compared with March 2025, indicating a slight slowdown in available seat capacity on a sequential basis.

It said "For April 2025, domestic air passenger traffic was estimated at 145.5 lakh, 10.2 per cent higher than 132.0 lakh in April 2024." 

For the entire financial year 2024-25 (April 2024 to March 2025), domestic air passenger traffic stood at approximately 1,653.8 lakh. This marked a 7.6 per cent increase over FY24 and was 16.8% higher than the pre-Covid level of around 1,415.6 lakh recorded in FY20. 

The report also noted that the international travel also saw a healthy rise. The report said international passenger traffic for Indian carriers reached 338.6 lakh in FY25, reflecting a strong YoY growth of 14.1 per cent. 

This was also 49 per4 cent higher than the pre-Covid level of 227.3 lakh, showing a significant recovery in overseas travel demand.

Looking ahead, ICRA has maintained a "stable" outlook on the Indian aviation industry. This is supported by expectations of moderate growth in domestic air passenger numbers and a stable cost environment in FY2026. 

The industry is also expected to have witnessed steady pricing power and stable yields during FY25 compared to FY24.

Despite these challenges, domestic air traffic is projected to grow at 7-10 per cent in FY26, maintaining the positive momentum.