13:55
June continued to be a tough month for Indian aviation despite the peak summer travel season.
Seven of the country's top 10 airports by domestic departing seats recorded a marked decline in June this year compared with the same month last year.
The trend was mirrored in international travel, where eight of the country's top 10 overseas markets also saw a decline in seat capacity during the month.
Underlying the fall was a sharp cut in seat capacity -- covering both domestic and international departing flights -- by Air India and Air India Express, which, along with SpiceJet, reduced capacity by nearly 1.8 million seats last month.
The bright spot was Akasa Air, which added the highest incremental seat capacity in June, ahead of IndiGo, making it a carrier to watch as it steadily expands its network and flight frequencies.
Among airports, Hyderabad recorded the steepest decline in domestic departing seats, down 18.5 per cent, followed by Chennai (-16.6 per cent), Kolkata (-11 per cent), Ahmedabad (-10.9 per cent), Mumbai (-7.7 per cent), Bengaluru (-6.4 per cent) and Guwahati(-4.8), according to data from OAG.
Only Delhi, where seat capacity grew a healthy 8.9 per cent, along with Pune and Navi Mumbai, bucked the trend.
Except for Germany and the UK, all other top 10 international markets posted a decline in capacity. The sharpest drop came on the India-United Arab Emirates route, where seats fell 15 per cent in June.
-- Surajeet Das Gupta, Business Standard
