Bengaluru, June 25 -- India is on track to surpass both China and the United States to become the world's third-largest air passenger market by 2030, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The country's domestic air passenger traffic grew by 1.89 percent YoY, reaching nearly 1.4 crore passengers in May 2025, as per the data from Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The subdued growth rate was largely due to the four-day military standoff between India and Pakistan, which impacted flight operations across several regions. During that period, operations at 32 airports-mostly in frontier zones-were disrupted for about a week in May, leading to delayed or canceled flights and lower passenger numbers.

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