India's domestic air passenger traffic surged by 19.69 per cent to 1.14 crore in January from 95.79 lakh reported during the corresponding month of last fiscal, official data has shown. “Passengers carried by domestic airlines during January 2018 were 114.65 lakh as against 95.79 lakh during the corresponding period of previous year thereby registering a growth of 19.69 per cent,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in its monthly domestic traffic report.

According to the data, low-cost carrier SpiceJet had the highest passenger load factor (PLF)—a measure of capacity utilization of the airline—at 95 per cent during during the month under review. “SpiceJet has yet again recorded the highest PLF in the industry and this is the 34th month in a row that we have flown with load factors in excess of 90 per cent,” said SpiceJet's Chief Sales and Revenue Officer Shilpa Bhatia.

It was followed by budget passenger carriers GoAir with PLF at 90 per cent, and IndiGo and JetLite at 89.7 per cent each. “The passenger load factor in the month of January 2018 has shown increasing trend compared to previous month primarily due to the ongoing tourist season,” the monthly statistical analysis said.