Indian airlines scheduled 25,000 fewer flights for July-September than in 2025

Indian airlines scheduled 8.5 percent fewer domestic and international flights this July-September compared to the same period last year, as they adjusted networks amid operational disruptions, geopolitical constraints and reduced demand. An analysis of data provided by global travel data provider OAG shows that eight Indian airlines—IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express, Akasa Air, SpiceJet, Alliance Air, Star Air and IndiaOne Air—scheduled 273,549 flights for July-September 2026, down from 298,939 flights in the corresponding period last year.Domestic schedules were down 8.4 percent, while international one fell by 9.9 percent. The year-on-year decline was sharpest in July, when domestic schedules fell 10 percent, and international schedules dropped 14 percent. Schedules recovered in August compared to July, rising by 4,847 flights, before falling again in September, which saw 2,923 fewer flights at 90,850. IndiGo accounts for most of the September decline, with its schedule down by 2,158 flights from August; Air India scheduled 875 fewer flights, while Air India Express increased its schedule by 439 flights.In May, Air India had announced plans to rationalise services on select international routes between June and August, highlighting factors such as airspace restrictions over certain regions and record-high jet fuel prices that were affecting the commercial viability of planned services. In the same month, IndiGo’s Managing Director Rahul Bhatia had said the conflict in West Asia had caused route disruptions and pushed up jet fuel prices, requiring airlines to take “certain short-term measures to protect operational viability”.Aviation turbine fuel (ATF), which accounts for up to 40 percent of an airline's operating costs, has become more expensive again amid the conflict in West Asia. After falling from Rs 115 per litre in June to Rs 110 in July, domestic ATF prices rose back to Rs 115 per litre in August and then to Rs 121.28 per litre on September 1.According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Indian airlines carried 120 lakh domestic passengers in July 2026 compared to 126.05 lakh passengers in July 2025, a decline of 4.8 percent; domestic passenger load was marginally high at 83.1 percent, compared with 82.9 percent a year earlier.The passenger slowdown comes as airlines face a difficult trade-off between rising costs and what travellers are willing to pay. Average airfares across 72 domestic routes rose about 20.5 percent between March 2025 and June 2026, according to DGCA data. Credit rating agency ICRA, on August 27, said domestic passenger traffic fell 4.8 percent year-on-year in July, while capacity deployment declined 7.8 percent; passenger traffic between April and July grew just 0.1 percent from a year earlier. The agency pointed to geopolitical disruptions, higher inflation and higher costs weighing on discretionary spends and business travel.Route trafficThe Delhi-Mumbai route saw the biggest increase in scheduled flights, adding 2,606 services across both directions during July-September. Mumbai-Kochi and Bengaluru-Kochi also saw sizeable additions. Hyderabad-Tirupati recorded the largest reduction, with 1,318 fewer scheduled flights, followed by Chennai-Hyderabad and Bengaluru-Hyderabad.OAG's August 2026 market data, which measures scheduled seats rather than the number of flights, showed that Mumbai-Dubai remained India's busiest international route despite an 8 percent year-on-year decline in capacity. At a country level, capacity to Saudi Arabia increased 7 percent year-on-year to 331,000 seats, while capacity to the UK rose 25 percent to 220,000 seats. Thailand saw a 21 percent decline in capacity, while Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Singapore recorded declines of 22 percent, 13 percent and 10 percent, respectively, compared with August 2025.