Passenger occupancy rates of Indian airlines exceeded a record 90 percent for the first time in February 2018, bolstered by the launch of new flights and routes, said a new report by an industry trade group.

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February also turned out to be the 42nd consecutive month of double-digit revenue passenger kilometre (RPK) growth for Indian aviation, said the report by International Air Transport Association (IATA).

RPK is an airline traffic statistic that shows the number of kilometres travelled by paying passengers and is calculated by multiplying the number of such passengers by the distance travelled.

India passenger occupancy rates at 90.3% in February was more than five percentage points higher than China’s and far ahead of the average for all domestic markets (82.3 percent).

India’s feat also marks an all-time high for the seven domestic markets that IATA tracks.

Up, Up and Away!

The near-term outlook for air passenger demand in India remains bright, with the market on track to make it 50 consecutive months of double-digit annual RPK growth in October 2018, according to the report. Air passenger demand in India also rose to 22.9 percent in February, twice the pace of China and well above its five-year average (15.6 percent), added the report.

That means India is on track to surpass the UK as the world’s third largest origin-destination market by the mid-2020s, said IATA.

Passenger demand in India continues to be driven by network growth that translates into savings for air travellers, the report said, adding that the passenger occupancy rates will continue to grow.

(With inputs from PTI)