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Air India Slashes Capacity by 8.8% Amid Fleet Overhaul
14 Sep
Summary
- Air India's scheduled seats in September will decrease by 8.8% year-on-year.
- IndiGo leads India's capacity with 11.26 million seats, dominating the market.
- Akasa Air shows growth, increasing capacity by 5% while others contract.
In September, Air India's scheduled capacity is set to decrease by 8.8% year-on-year, falling to 3.2 million seats. This reduction occurs while the airline concurrently aims to revamp its fleet and broaden its network.
Aircraft availability and maintenance schedules are impacting the pace of capacity expansion. Air India is prioritizing routes with higher demand and better economic returns for its available aircraft. This strategic shift contrasts with its sister airline, Air India Express, which is only seeing a 2.6% capacity decrease.
Despite this contraction, Air India remains the second-largest airline in the country by capacity. IndiGo continues to lead significantly, holding nearly half of India's total scheduled capacity. Together, Air India and Air India Express account for about a quarter of the nation's scheduled seats.
Meanwhile, Akasa Air is experiencing growth, with a 5% year-on-year increase in scheduled capacity. This expansion happens as larger airlines adopt a more cautious approach to capacity increases. SpiceJet, however, faces the steepest decline, with capacity plunging by 45.2% due to ongoing fleet constraints.
