India's international air traffic rose over 6 percent to 78.7 million even as the share of Indian carriers in the overseas traffic declined to 44.4 percent in the year
ended March 2026 as per PTI. According to the DGCA a total of 2,218 aircraft were registered with the regulator as of March 31, 2026. Of these, 985 aircraft were operated by scheduled airlines, while non-scheduled operators accounted for 425 aircraft. The international passenger traffic figures include both passengers departing from and arriving in India. The data indicates that foreign airlines collectively carried a larger share of passengers travelling on international routes connected to India. As per the data released India's total air passenger traffic (including domestic and international) rose 2.7 percent to 246.1 million in FY25-26 compared to 239.7 million in the previous financial year. Domestic passenger traffic increased 1.1 percent to 167.4 million, while international passenger traffic grew at a faster pace of 6.1 percent to 78.7 million. Among outbound international passengers from India in FY25-26, Africa and the Middle East accounted for 51.5 percent of traffic as reported by PTI. The Asia-Pacific region accounted for 30.4 percent, while Europe made up 13.6 percent of outbound international passenger traffic, according to the report. The DGCA handbook also reported that 2,218 aircraft were registered with the regulator as of March 31, 2026. Of these, 985 aircraft were with scheduled airlines and 425 belonged to non-scheduled operators. Analysts believe the decline in Indian carriers' share of international passenger traffic shows the growing competition from foreign airlines on the same routes. While rising passenger data overall reflects that international travel demand is on the rise and Indian carriers may need to expand capacity for the same and improve their competitive positioning to capture a larger share of this growing market going forward.
