Despite Jet Airways, with its fleet of 123 aircraft, shutting down operations in 2019, the year saw India’s fleet of commercial aircraft growing by nearly 29%. From 520 in 2018, the number of commercial aircraft in the country rose to 669 in 2019.
Data from the country’s aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), reveals that in 2019, the country’s eight domestic carriers added 145 aircraft to their fleets, compared to 104 new aircraft in 2018. GoAir, which inducted 17 aircraft in 2018, added 13 in 2019. SpiceJet inducted 46 aircraft, including six Bombardier Q400 for services to smaller cities under the regional connectivity scheme. AirAsia India added eight aircraft in 2019 compared to five in 2018. IndiGo, the country largest airline with 47.5% of the passenger share, added 53 aircraft in 2019 compared to 60 in 2018. Vistara, which started international operations in 2019, inducted 21 aircraft last year compared to five in 2018. National carrier Air India, inducted only three aircraft in 2019, while it had inducted 12 aircraft in 2018.
