Indian skies witnessed a historic milestone with 5,05,412 domestic passengers departing on a single day on November 17, 2024, crossing the 5 lakh mark for the first time, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
More than 3,100 planes took off taking more than five lakh passengers.
“This number shows that the air travel is now more accessible to the people of India," says civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu.
This landmark became possible because of the schemes like UDAN which has brought air travel closer to the people and connected the remote parts of India to global destinations, the minister says.
UDAN – “Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik” scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 21, 2016. "This achievement reflects the sector’s rapid expansion, supported by enhanced connectivity, passenger-friendly policies, and increased accessibility to affordable air travel. It highlights the seamless efforts of all stakeholders, from airlines to airport operators, in providing reliable and efficient services to passengers," the ministry says.
Reacting to the development, Aloke Bajpai, co-founder of online ticketing platform Ixigo, wrote on social media platform X, “Slowdown ? What slowdown. India touched an all time high of 5,05,412 domestic passengers across 3173 domestic departures on 17 Nov. 5L+ done and dusted for Indian aviation.”
Bajpai’s comments come as several companies from auto to fast moving consumer goods have reported a slowdown in urban demand. A report by Japanese equity research firm Nomura recently indicated that its proprietary high-frequency economic growth indices suggest that India could be entering into a cyclical growth slowdown. Nomura’s indices show that India’s GDP growth momentum slowed sharply in the July-September 2024 quarter, led primarily by investment, although consumption and external sector indicators are also moderating.
Meanwhile, IndiGo, the country’s largest airline, called this new milestone a defining moment for Indian aviation. The carrier flies over 3 lakh passengers daily. The low-cost airline recently launched a new business class on select domestic routes. By the end of 2025, it plans to launch this on 12 metro routes with a fleet of 40 plus aircraft of this configuration.
IndiGo reported ₹986 crore loss for the quarter ended September owing to higher fuel costs and peak groundings of over 70 planes due to engine issues. “We are facing headwinds in the form of aircraft grounding situation. We reached the peak number of groundings, in the mid-seventies, during the quarter and the number has already started moderating downwards. The expensive mitigation measures as against these groundings is a well thought through short-term investment in the business, as to ensure that we can serve our customers with the best possible flying options in the upcoming seasonally stronger quarters,” IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said in an analyst call after the company’s second-quarter earnings.
