New Delhi, March 15 (IANS): The number of domestic air passengers for the period from January to February this year soared to 257.78 lakh, against 246.11 lakh in the same period last year, said an official from aviation watchdog, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on Friday.

This growth represents an annual increase of 4.74 per cent and a noteworthy monthly growth rate of 4.80 per cent.

According to data released by DGCA, during February, a total of 791 passenger-related complaints had been received by the scheduled domestic airlines.

“The number of complaints per 10,000 passengers carried for the month of February has been around 0.63. The major reasons for complaints are flight problems. Out of 791 complaints received, 769 (approximately 97 per cent) have been addressed,” the data claimed.

Notably, from January to February this year, IndiGo, a budget airline, secured a 60.2 per cent market share by flying 155.11 lakh passengers, while Air India, owned by the Tata Group, carried a total of 32.13 lakh passengers, with a market share of 12.5 per cent.

“Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, flew 25.58 lakh passengers, securing a 9.9 per cent market share. AirAsia India, now known as AIX Connect, recorded 15.71 lakh passengers, making up 6.1 per cent of the total traffic,” the data stated.

SpiceJet transported 13.99 lakh passengers from January to February, capturing 5.4 per cent of the market.

Akasa Air flew 11.64 lakh passengers and claimed a 4.5 per cent market share, the data showed.