India’s international air passenger traffic grew by 6.1% to 78.7 million in FY26, according to data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). This marks an increase from 74.7 million in FY25.

Domestic passenger traffic also rose, growing by 1.1% to 167.4 million in FY26. Indian carriers accounted for 44.4% of the international passenger traffic, a slight decline from 45.7% in FY25. IndiGo had the largest share among individual operators, accounting for 20.8% of international passenger traffic.

Total air passenger traffic across both domestic and international routes increased by 2.7% to 246.1 million in FY26. The growth in international traffic occurred despite geopolitical conflicts and airspace closures, as reported by the Hindustan Times. Revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) rose 2.4% to 164.3 billion in FY26.

The data also highlights that the top 10 international operators accounted for nearly 65% of international passenger traffic. As of March 31, 2026, a total of 2,218 aircraft were registered with DGCA, with scheduled airlines operating 985 planes and non-scheduled operators managing 425 aircraft.