New Delhi, April 30 -- India's domestic air passenger growth slowed to its weakest pace since the pandemic recovery, weighed down by reduced aircraft availability across airlines.

Domestic air passenger traffic rose just 1.33% year-on-year to 16.75 million in FY26, sharply down from over 7% growth in FY25, according to data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The slowdown marks a steep moderation from the post-covid rebound in FY22 and FY23, when growth had exceeded 50%.

During FY26, India's two largest operators, Air India and IndiGo, had fewer planes in the air following heightened regulatory scrutiny. The capacity utilisation of aircraft was lower.

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