New Delhi, July 2 (IANS): The International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Thursday reported that India's domestic passenger traffic increased by 18.2 percent in May 2015.

The country's domestic traffic spiked 20.7 percent in April 2015 and 17.9 percent in March 2015.

India's domestic capacity in the month under review rose by 7.7 percent when compared to May 2014.

"India’s domestic demand accelerated 18.2 percent in May compared to May 2014, likely owing to market stimulation by local carriers as well as notable improvements in economic growth," the association which represents nearly 260 airlines was quoted in a statement.

Earlier, data furnished by the civil aviation ministry showed that domestic air passenger traffic increased by 18.35 percent in May, which stood at 71.27 lakh passengers -- up from 60.22 lakh in the corresponding month last year.

The data also showed that low-cost carrier IndiGo achieved the highest market share at 38.9 percent followed by Jet Airways (18.3), Air India (15.8), SpiceJet (11.7), GoAir (8.6) and JetLite (3.2).

AirAsia India and Vistara both reported a market share of 1.3 percent, followed by Air Costa's (0.90) and Air Pegasus (0.1).