Around 70.66 lakh domestic passengers travelled by air in the month of September, 5.44 percent higher than 67.01 lakh who travelled in August, the country's aviation regulator said on Monday. According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), 50.07 lakh people, 31.13 lakh people, 21.15 lakh people and 57.25 lakh people had travelled within the country by air in July, June, May and April, respectively.

The sudden drop in domestic air traffic in May was due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic that had badly hit the country and its aviation sector. While IndiGo carried 39.69 lakh passengers in September with a 56.2 percent share of the domestic market, SpiceJet flew 6.02 lakh passengers, accounting for a 8.5 percent share of the market, according to the data shared by DGCA.

Air India, Go First (previously known as GoAir), Vistara and AirAsia India carried 8.53 lakh, 5.8 lakh, 6.12 lakh and 4.13 lakh passengers, respectively, in September, the data showed. The occupancy rate for the six major airlines in September was between 63.7 percent and 78.8 percent, it stated.

The occupancy rate for SpiceJet was 78.8 percent in September, the DGCA noted. The occupancy rates for IndiGo, Vistara, Go First, Air India and AirAsia India were 73.6 percent, 72.4 percent, 74.1 percent, 63.7 percent and 68 percent, respectively, it added. The aviation sector has been significantly impacted due to the travel restrictions imposed in India and other countries in view of the pandemic.

India resumed domestic passenger flights on May 25 last year after a gap of two months due to the coronavirus pandemic. The DGCA data mentioned that in September 2021, IndiGo had the best on-time performance of 95.5 percent at four metro airports -- Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai.

AirAsia India and Go First were at the second and third positions in relation to on-time performance at the aforementioned four airports in August with 95.1 percent and 94.4 percent on-time performance, respectively, the DGCA said. All airlines in India have opted for cost-reducing measures such as pay cuts, leave without pay and layoffs in order to tide over the coronavirus-induced crisis.