On October 24, Diwali Day, most airlines reported lower occupancy, with their passenger load factor falling significantly to the range of 65 to 70% as opposed to 80 to 85% on recent days.
On Monday, the day of the Diwali celebration, the largest Indian airline, Indigo, experienced PLF of 64.5%, while Vistara and Air India reported PLFs of 63.5% and 67.3%, respectively.
Industry insiders claim that one of the key factors contributing to the airlines' decreased occupancy during the festival was the higher air fares on the majority of itineraries.
With the holiday rush in mind, prices on many popular routes, including as Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Bengaluru, and others, virtually increased by more than 50%.
According to an industry insider, this may have served as a deterrent for some people and contributed to the decreased occupancy.
The analyst claimed that tickets were less expensive during regular days and that plane fares had generally become more competitive on numerous routes, especially since the advent of Akasa Air.
According to the most recent data from the aviation regulator, the passenger load factor, also known as airline occupancy, remained high during September, ranging between 75 and 85 percent.
According to the data, domestic aviation traffic in the nation continued to increase, with 8.74 crore passengers being carried by domestic airlines between January and September 2022 as opposed to 5.31 crore during the same period the previous year, representing an increase of 64.61 percent annually.
