Chennai ranks highest for on-time flights, IndiGo leads airlines: DGCA May report

India's domestic aviation market maintained steady growth during the first five months of 2026, with airlines carrying 729.40 lakh passengers between January and May, according to the latest data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The figures, reported by Travel and Tour World based on DGCA data, show passenger traffic increased from 715.70 lakh during the corresponding period in 2025.

The latest data indicates:

• January-May 2026 passengers: 729.40 lakh
• January-May 2025 passengers: 715.70 lakh
• Year-on-year growth: 1.91%
• Month-on-month growth in May: 9.49%

The increase reflects continued demand for domestic air travel as airlines focus on improving operational reliability alongside network expansion.

Chennai leads airport punctuality rankings

Among India's ten busiest airports monitored by the regulator, Chennai International Airport delivered the strongest on-time performance (OTP) during May 2026, recording 92.2%.

The top airport rankings were:

• Chennai International Airport: 92.2%
• Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata: 84.7%
• Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad: 84.4%
• Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru: 82.3%
• Kochi International Airport: 81.5%
• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad: 76.7%
• Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Lucknow: 76.7%
• Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, Guwahati: 75.3%
• Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi: 72.6%
• Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai: 70.5%

The rankings highlight Chennai's lead over larger aviation hubs, including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, during the month.

IndiGo records the strongest airline punctuality

Among scheduled domestic airlines, IndiGo reported the highest on-time performance, reinforcing its position as the country's most punctual major carrier during May.

The airline rankings were:

• IndiGo: 82.8%
• Akasa Air: 78.3%
• Air India Group: 74.5%
• Alliance Air: 70.5%
• SpiceJet: 26.5%

Akasa Air secured the second position, while SpiceJet recorded the lowest punctuality among the airlines assessed.

Akasa Air reports the fewest cancellations

The DGCA data also compared airline cancellation rates during May.

The overall cancellation rate for scheduled domestic airlines stood at 0.55%.

Individual airline cancellation rates were:

• Akasa Air: 0.10%
• IndiGo: 0.36%
• Air India Group: 0.39%
• Star Air: 0.83%
• Fly91: 1.74%
• SpiceJet: 4.04%
• Alliance Air: 4.29%
• IndiaOne Air: 5.58%

The figures place Akasa Air as the airline with the lowest cancellation rate during the month.

Technical issues remain the biggest cause of disruptions

According to the DGCA data, technical issues remained the primary reason for flight cancellations in May, accounting for almost half of all disrupted services.

The breakdown of cancellation causes was:

• Technical: 45.1%
• Operational: 26.6%
• Weather: 15.3%
• Miscellaneous: 11.6%
• Commercial: 1.4%

The data illustrates the operational challenges airlines continue to manage even as passenger demand remains strong.

With domestic traffic continuing to grow, punctuality, reliability and operational efficiency are expected to remain key performance measures for airlines and airports across India's aviation sector.