In comparison to the pre-pandemic year of CY19, India’s domestic aviation capacity growth in calendar year 2023 (CY23) was the sixth largest among 20 major domestic markets.
Domestic capacity in the country surpassed the pre-pandemic level in CY19 and increased by 5% in CY23. According to data provided at a seminar organized by global travel data supplier OAG on global aviation trends in 2023, it lags Mexico, Columbia, China, Vietnam, and Spain in terms of growth.
Domestic capacity growth in India is larger than capacity growth in Italy (4%), the United States (2%), and Brazil, which managed to return to 2019 levels. Many other nations, including Australia, Japan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Canada, South Korea, France, Thailand, and Malaysia, have not yet reached pre-pandemic levels. According to OAG, the top 20 domestic markets account for 88% of global domestic travel capacity, with nine nations now surpassing 2019 levels.
Globally, overall capacity based on seats is still in the negative and lower by 3.7 per cent in CY23 over CY19. In terms of frequency, it has decreased by 9.1% between the same years. According to OAG, capacity in the first quarter (Q1) of 2024 will be 2.9 percent higher than in 2019, with domestic capacity increasing by 4.6 percent and foreign capacity remaining at 2019 levels in the same period.
The top 15 global airlines’ order books reflect the favorable outlook for the Indian market’s growth. Indigo is at the top of the charts, with roughly 1,000 orders for largely narrow-body planes. Air India is in fourth place, with orders for approximately 470 planes. The two carriers account for approximately a tenth of all delivery orders submitted by worldwide airlines.
United Airlines and Southwest Airlines are in second and third place, with approximately 800 and 500 aircraft orders, respectively. Globally, narrow-body aircraft accounted for 80% of total
orders for 16,214 planes, with the Airbus A-320 series (320 and 321) accounting for 52% and the B737 Max accounting for 36%. Indigo placed the largest Airbus order, consisting of A320s and A321s.