Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Sep 23: India's domestic air passenger traffic declined 6.34 per cent year-on-year to 1.21 crore in August, while SpiceJet's market share fell to 1.2 per cent from 1.6 per cent in July, according to data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday.

Market shares of major airlines recorded mixed movements during the month.

Air India's market share increased to 26.7 per cent in August from 24 per cent in July, while IndiGo's share declined to 65 per cent from 67.4 per cent during the same period.

Akasa Air retained its 5.5 per cent market share in August.

Despite the decline in its share, IndiGo continued to lead India's domestic aviation market, carrying 78.87 lakh passengers during the month.

The Air India group was the second-largest carrier, with a 26.7 per cent market share and 32.32 lakh passengers. Akasa Air remained in third position with a 5.5 per cent share, carrying 6.68 lakh passengers in August.

SpiceJet carried 1.40 lakh passengers during the month. The airline faced several operational challenges during August, resulting in flight delays.

The DGCA data also showed that IndiGo recorded the highest on-time performance among major airlines at 91 per cent in August.

Akasa Air followed with an on-time performance of 90.5 per cent, while the Air India group recorded 83.9 per cent.

Alliance Air's on-time performance stood at 71.8 per cent during the month.

Meanwhile, Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu said on Tuesday that the DGCA was closely monitoring SpiceJet's financial and operational performance amid continuing challenges faced by the airline.

Naidu said the aviation regulator had been tasked with reviewing both the airline's operations and financial position to ensure that there was no compromise on aviation safety.