IndiGo’s domestic market share dropped sharply in December 2025 after major flight disruptions cut capacity and triggered mass cancellations, according to India’s aviation regulator.
The shift helped the Air India Group post its strongest monthly gain, showing how quickly reliability issues can change booking patterns during peak travel.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said IndiGo’s domestic market share fell to 59.6% in December from 63.6% in November. That reading marked IndiGo’s lowest monthly market share in the past two years, based on the same DGCA dataset.
Passenger volumes reflected the reduced flying programme. IndiGo carried 85.23 lakh passengers in December, down from 96.93 lakh in November and 96.15 lakh a year earlier.
InterGlobe Aviation-owned IndiGo still closed calendar 2025 with a higher annual market share of 64%, versus 61.9% in 2024, DGCA data showed.
IndiGo faced its heaviest disruption in early December. The airline cancelled over 4,500 flights, leaving large numbers of passengers stranded, the DGCA-linked reporting said.
The cancellations followed new pilot rest requirements under Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), which set limits for duty periods and mandatory rest. IndiGo responded by trimming scheduled domestic departures by about 10%, which reduced available seats through the month.
An aviation consultant, Mark D Martin, chief executive of Martin Consulting, said cancellations started in November and peaked in December, creating a cascading effect. He said the reduced capacity allowed full-service carriers, including Air India, to gain share.
The Air India Group, backed by Tata Group, increased its domestic market share to 29.6% in December from 26.7% in November, according to DGCA data. The Air India Group includes Air India and Air India Express.
DGCA data showed the group ended 2025 with about 27% share, reflecting its first full year after combined operations. Other carriers also recorded smaller gains. DGCA data showed Akasa Air held 5.2% market share in December, while SpiceJet stood at 4.3%.
The wider domestic market also showed stress in December. DGCA-linked reporting said total domestic passengers fell 4.1% year-on-year during the month, even as the holiday period usually lifts demand.
Service indicators weakened at the industry level. DGCA-linked reporting put the overall cancellation rate for scheduled domestic airlines at 6.92% in December, with IndiGo at 9.65%. The report cited 29,212 passenger-related complaints in December, equal to about 20.41 complaints per 10,000 passengers carried during the month.
IndiGo carried 1,068.64 lakh passengers in 2025, up from 999.04 lakh in 2024, DGCA data showed. Still, December’s disruption interrupted that growth path and shifted share to rivals.
In the near term, the market will track whether IndiGo restores schedules as FDTL-driven planning stabilizes. DGCA-linked reporting said January also saw cancellations, while IndiGo continued operating at reduced capacity under regulator direction.