New Delhi, Nov 17 (IANS): Domestic airline passenger numbers for the period spanning January to October soared to 1,254.98 lakhs, showcasing a substantial increase from the 988.31 lakh recorded during the same period the previous year, aviation watchdog DGCA said on Thursday.

This growth represents an annual increase of 26.98 per cent and a noteworthy monthly growth rate of 10.78 per cent. According to data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), during October, a total of 475 passenger related complaints were received by the scheduled domestic airlines.

"The number of complaints per 10,000 passengers carried for the month of September 2023 has been around 0.38. The major reasons for complaints are flight problems. Airlines have received a total of 475 complaints, out of which 474 (approximately 98.8 per cent) have been addressed," the data claimed.

Notably, from January to October this year, IndiGo, a budget airline, secured a 60.2 per cent market share by flying 755.35 lakh passengers while Air India, owned by the Tata Group, carried a total of 118.74 lakhs passengers, with a market share of 9.5 per cent.

"Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, flew 113.32 lakh passengers, securing a nine per cent market share. AirAsia India, now known as AIX Connect, recorded 92.06 lakh passengers, making up 7.3 per cent of the total traffic," the data stated.

Asaka Air, which marked its one-year anniversary on July 7 this year, flew 50.91 lakh passengers and claimed a 4.1 per cent market share, the data showed.

SpiceJet transported 68.34 lakh passengers from January to August this year, capturing 5.4 per cent of the market. IndiGo also excelled in punctuality, with 88.5 per cent of its flights departing or arriving on time at major airports such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad followed by Akasa Air with 83.9 per cent.