India’s international aviation sector soared to new heights in the final quarter of 2025, crossing 2 crore passengers between October and December — the highest quarterly figure ever recorded, according to data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The record capped a resilient year for the industry. For the full calendar year 2025, 7.8 crore passengers travelled on international routes to and from India — an 8% jump from 7.2 crore in 2024. Quarter-on-quarter growth stood at nearly 9%, underscoring sustained demand despite global and domestic headwinds.
Growth Despite Global and Operational Headwinds
The surge came at a time when multiple factors could have dampened traffic:
During the second term of Donald Trump, the United States tightened immigration controls and slowed visa issuance across categories, including student and H-1B visas heavily used by Indian professionals.
Canada saw higher visa rejection rates and prolonged processing timelines.
Capacity constraints emerged after the tragic crash of Air India flight AI 171 in June 2025. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London Gatwick crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people — the deadliest aviation disaster of the decade. Following the incident, Air India reduced widebody capacity by 15%.
Despite these setbacks, international passenger numbers continued to climb.
IndiGo Overtakes Air India in International Market
The capacity cut by Air India reshaped competitive dynamics.
IndiGo overtook the Air India group as India’s largest international carrier from the July–September 2025 quarter onward, reversing the dominance Air India had maintained since the collapse of Jet Airways.
Foreign airlines continued to command 54% of total international traffic, a share that has remained largely unchanged, partly because India has not expanded bilateral flying rights significantly.
A Nation Ready to Fly
According to Anil Kalsi, Vice-President of the Travel Agents Federation of India, nearly 1.5 crore passports were issued in 2025, yet only 33–35 lakh passport holders actually travelled abroad.
The gap signals strong latent demand. With visa-on-arrival access expanding and India’s middle class growing, outbound travel is expected to accelerate further.
Where Are Indians Flying?
More than 70% of international traffic was routed through five major Indian cities.
The United Arab Emirates emerged as the single largest corridor, accounting for nearly one-third of all international passengers, serving both as a destination and a major transit hub.
Other key travel corridors included:
Thailand
Saudi Arabia
United Kingdom
Singapore
Qatar
Malaysia
Oman
Vietnam
Destinations across South and Southeast Asia continue to attract Indian travellers in large numbers, particularly leisure and short-haul segments.
