SpiceJet’s on-time performance fell to just 34.5 percent in July, according to fresh data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, lagging well behind the rest of the industry.
IndiGo led all carriers with a 91.2 percent on-time performance, followed closely by Akasa Air at 90.8 percent, while Air India recorded 86.5 percent for the month.
The gap emerged even as overall domestic air passenger traffic declined nearly 5 percent year-on-year in July, with Indian airlines carrying around 1.2 crore passengers.
IndiGo held its dominant market position with a 67.4 percent share and 80.82 lakh passengers, while the Air India group carried a 24 percent share with 28.75 lakh passengers.
SpiceJet’s market share has fallen to just 1.6 percent, with only 1.87 lakh passengers flown in July, a steep decline from the carrier’s earlier position as a major domestic player.
The numbers add to a tough stretch for SpiceJet, which continues to draw scrutiny over operational reliability as IndiGo and Akasa Air maintain strong, consistent punctuality records.
Under DGCA’s criteria, a flight is classified as delayed if its departure is more than 15 minutes behind the scheduled time.
Overall flight cancellation rates across Indian carriers stood at 0.62 percent in July, with technical issues accounting for nearly 40 percent of all cancellations.
Among airports, Chennai recorded the best on-time performance overall at 96.7 percent in July, followed by Bengaluru at 94 percent and Hyderabad at 92.4 percent.
IndiGo carried 80.82 lakh passengers in July, giving it a dominant 67.4 percent share of the domestic market, well ahead of the Air India group’s 24 percent share.
Akasa Air carried 6.65 lakh passengers for a 5.5 percent market share in July, while SpiceJet’s share slipped further to just 1.6 percent with 1.87 lakh passengers.
DGCA’s on-time performance data covers 10 major airports, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Cochin, Guwahati and Lucknow.
Photo by Rehman Abubakr, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
