NEW DELHI: Chennai Airport recorded the best on-time performance (OTP) for domestic flights in May, with 92.2% of services operated by IndiGo, the Air India Group, Akasa Air, Alliance Air and SpiceJet departing on schedule, according to data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday.
Among India’s 10 busiest airports, Kolkata ranked second with an OTP of 84.7%, followed by Hyderabad (84.4%), Bengaluru (82.3%) and Kochi (81.5%).
The remaining airports were Ahmedabad and Lucknow (both 76.7%), Guwahati (75.3%), Delhi (72.6%) and Mumbai (70.5%), making the national capital and the country’s busiest airport the two poorest performers in terms of domestic flight punctuality among the top 10 airports.
Among airlines, IndiGo recorded the highest on-time performance at 82.8%, followed by Akasa Air (78.3%) and the Air India Group (74.5%) across the country’s 10 busiest airports. SpiceJet ranked last, with only 26.5% of its domestic flights operating on time.
Domestic air travel also witnessed a strong seasonal surge in May, with more than 1.5 crore passengers flying within India, nearly 10% higher than the 1.4 crore recorded in the same month last year. Passenger traffic had remained below 1.4 crore in April, making the jump during the summer vacation period particularly significant.
With outbound international travel continuing to be affected by airspace restrictions, elevated airfares and a weak rupee, domestic travel remained comparatively strong, benefiting India’s hospitality and tourism sectors.
However, overall growth in domestic aviation has been modest. During the January-May 2026 period, Indian airlines carried 7.3 crore domestic passengers, up about 2% from 7.1 crore in the corresponding period last year.
IndiGo retained its dominant position in the domestic market with a 64.9% share in May, followed by the Air India Group (25.6%), Akasa Air (5.8%), while other airlines together accounted for the remaining 3.7%.
