India Records Highest Growth In Domestic Air Traffic Globally

By M. Santhiran NEW DELHI, Oct 2 (Bernama) -- Thanks to low fares and the increase in capacity with the launch of new airlines, India is now witnessing the highest growth in domestic air traffic globally, The Times of India reported. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said India's domestic passenger traffic demand grew the fastest among seven major aviation markets of the world -- Australia, Brazil, China, Japan, Russian Federation and the US. "India's domestic demand surged 18.3 per cent in August (2015) compared to a year ago, largely reflecting increases in service frequencies and economic strength," the Times of India reported quoting IATA. India's growth was followed by China at 13.6 per cent and the Russian Federation at 10.9 per cent. India's domestic traffic rose 28 per cent in July, 16.3 per cent in June; 18.2 per cent in May; 20.7 per cent in April; and, 17.9 per cent in March 2015. August's 18.3 per cent growth, though lower than the July growth, was the fastest globally for that month. India's domestic capacity in the month under review rose 8.4 per cent compared to August 2014. Tony Tyler, IATA's Director-General/Chief Executive Officer, said the August figures showed continuation of the trend of strong demand for air travel despite some softening in global economic growth, particularly in emerging markets. --BERNAMA