India’s air traffic grows 23%, to overtake UK by 2026

India’s domestic air traffic grew 23.5% in September continuing its 2-year run of double digit growth and is now expected to surpass the UK in a decade. Nearly 8.23m passengers flew in Sept 2016 compared with 6.66m in Sept 2015, according to civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju Wednesday. “The passenger load factor in the month of Sept 2016 has almost remained constant compared to previous month primarily due to the end of tourist season,” aviation regulator DGCA elaborated in its report. The July-September period is considered lean season for domestic airlines which is followed by a peak in the October-December period, with festivals and New Year holiday travel boosting demand. Traffic data showed airlines were able to still fill up their planes by offering cheaper fares in the lean season. <br/>