Domestic air traffic surges

Domestic aviation traffic in India recorded the fastest full-year growth globally for the fourth consecutive year with an 18.6 per cent increase in annual demand in 2018.

The global average growth in domestic traffic was 7 per cent, the same was recorded in 2017. India’s growth of 18.6 per cent was followed by China (11.7 per cent), Russia (9 per cent) and the US (5.1 per cent), said a report by the global aviation body IATA.

Significantly, India was the only country besides the US to record a faster growth than the year before. Domestic demand is underpinned by robust economic expansion and increasing numbers of city pairs, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in its press statement about India, seemingly referring to the government’s UDAN scheme that aims to enhance air connectivity to tier-2 and tier-3 cities.

International growth hit

A slowdown in growth was witnessed in international aviation traffic which, at 6.3 per cent, was lower than the 8.6 per cent recorded in 2017. This was on account of growing signs of slowing global economic expansion in the second half of 2018.

The combined growth of domestic and international air traffic was at 6.5 per cent. IATA has forecast that this figure is likely to be at 6 per cent in the current year.