New Delhi, April 23 -- On 21 April, 470,751 passengers flew, setting a record for Indian air traffic by beating the previous record registered a year ago. Record demand this summer has implications for both aviation companies and passengers. Mint sets out the scenario:

India is currently the third largest aviation market in the world, after the US and China. It is also the fastest growing air travel market in the world. The domestic air traffic has grown over 147% in the past 10 years to reach 152 million passengers in 2023. Industry experts attribute the growth in air travel demand to rising income levels, unrealized potential of first-time flyers (currently, the penetration in domestic air travel is just 10%), a competitive environment...