Days after turning six, low-cost carrier (LCC) IndiGo has upstaged the 1993-founded Jet Group to become the market leader of domestic skies. In July, the LCC carried 19,000 more domestic passengers than Jet-JetKonnect’s combined load of 12.07 lakh and pushed the latter to the number two spot for the first time. While IndiGo had been ahead of Jet Airways on a standalone basis in domestic carriage for months, it is the first time that it has overtaken the group as a whole.
According to DGCA figures, IndiGo had a market share of 26% in June, just 1.4% behind Jet-JetKonnect’s combined domestic share. In July, IndiGo reached a market share of 27% against Jet Group’s 26.6%. Industry analysts said this gap might widen in coming months.
IndiGo currently has a fleet of 58 aircraft, of which 50 Airbus A-320s fly domestic routes and the airline is adding eight to nine aircraft every year. By the end of this year, the fleet size will go to 60. The airline had ordered 100 aircraft about seven years back and has an additional order for 180 A-320 family planes.
With international routes not coming easily to private airlines, a majority of IndiGo’s capacity addition would be in the domestic space. But the LCC said it was not chasing market shares.
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