How Air India's passenger numbers barely changed after AI171 crash
Even after the AI171 crash in Ahmedabad last month, Air India managed to keep its spot as India's number two airline.
Summer is usually packed with travelers, and while there were worries that the crash (plus recent incidents like Operation Sindoor) would scare people off, official data shows passenger numbers barely changed compared to last year.
Air India's market share has jumped to around 25-26%
IndiGo continues to dominate with about 65% of the market and over nine million flyers each month.
Air India's share has jumped from 9% before privatization to around 25-26% now, and they're aiming for a solid 30% by 2027.
They already control half the seats on major metro routes and are growing their fleet despite some operational bumps.
Trust in airlines is strong, travel demand isn't slowing down
Air India's ability to bounce back—and even grow—despite tough competition and infrastructure issues says a lot about how quickly Indian aviation is changing.
The fact that people kept flying after such a major incident shows trust in airlines is strong, and that travel demand isn't slowing down anytime soon.