New Delhi, May 21 || The number of passengers flown by India’s domestic airlines during April this year crossed the 1.43 crore mark, which represents an 8.45 per cent increase compared to the same month of the previous year, despite bad weather impacting operations during the month, figures released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Wednesday showed.
Passengers carried by domestic airlines during January-April this year went up to 575.13 lakh, which represents a 9.87 per cent increase over the corresponding figure of 523.46 lakh during the same period of the previous year.
Bad weather was a significant factor in flight disruptions during April, accounting for 38.8 per cent of all cancellations in air tickets by passengers. This directly impacted 20,840 passengers, as a result of which airlines had to shell out Rs 41.69 lakh in compensation and facilities, marking a 117 per cent increase month-on-month.
Beyond cancellations, delays also affected a large number of travellers, with 96,350 people experiencing delays in April, a 68 per cent jump compared to March. As many as 70 per cent of these passengers were hit by "reactionary" delays, primarily due to the late arrival of planes from earlier journeys.