New Delhi, Jan 21 (IANS): Domestic air passenger traffic jumped 3.37 percent in December to 55.86 lakh passengers -- up from 54.04 lakh ferried during the corresponding month last year, data furnished by the civil aviation ministry Tuesday showed.

According to data furnished by the ministry, the passengers carried by domestic airlines during January-December, 2013 was up 4.43 percent at 614.25 lakh from 588.19 lakh passengers in the corresponding period of last year.

On a month-to-month basis, domestic passenger traffic grew by 8.88 percent at 55.86 lakh passengers being ferried in December from 51.3 lak passengers serviced in November.

The passenger traffic had grown by 2.33 percent in November at 51.3 lakh passengers from 50.2 lakh carried carried in October 2013.

Budget carrier JetLite achieved the highest overall occupancy in the month under review at 78.5 percent, followed by GoAir at 77.4 percent, Air India's domestic operation at 77.3 percent, IndiGo at 77.1 percent, SpiceJet at 75.3 percent and Jet Airways at 74.8 percent and newly formed Air Costa at 72.6 percent.

The data also showed that low cost carrier (LCC) GoAir had the highest cancellation rate of 3.2 percent followed by SpiceJet at 1.5 percent and Jet Airways at 1.5 percent.