NEW DELHI: International air travel in and out of India touched a new quarterly high and crossed the two-crore mark for the first time in October-December 2025.Despite travel to the US remaining subdued due to visa issues across categories such as students and H-1B during President Trump’s second presidency; Canada’s high rejection rate for Indian visa applicants and issuance delays and the reduction in flights by Air India after AI 171 Ahmedabad crash last June, last calendar year saw 7.8 crore people fly to and from India – 8% more than previous year’s 7.2 crore, according to DGCA data.While the share of foreign carriers has been static at 54% as India did not hike the flying rights of a majority of countries whose airlines have a large presence here, the share of Indian carriers has seen a change. In the recent past (after Jet’s demise), Air India group was the largest in terms of flying passengers in and out of the subcontinent. .. That changed in the July-Sept 2025 quarter, with IndiGo since then flying more than the AI Group (see graphic). “Almost 1.5 crore Indians were issued Passports last year. Only 33-35 lakh of these passport holders travelled abroad last year. So we have a large number of passport holders who are aspiring to travel but have not yet travelled. Combine this with the growing power of the Indian passport with more countries offering visa-on-arrival or visa free access and the growing aspiration of a booming middle class, this segment is bound to grow by leaps and bounds for many years to come. There has been a growth in direct connectivity between India and new destinations abroad , many in the nations frequented by Indians, that is fuelling demand,” said Anil Kalsi, Travel Agents Federation of India VP.Many countries in the neighbourhood like Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand count Indians among their bigger foreign spenders and overseas travellers.”Except North America, every other place is seeing a serious growth in demand from Indian travellers. Given the fact that Indians are very high spenders, many countries are increasingly welcoming them with open arms,” said officials.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosRed Carpet Welcome For PM Modi In Israel, Congress Slams Visit Over Gaza ‘Genocide’ | Headlines@8Big Honour for India: PM Modi Becomes First to Receive Knesset Speaker’s Medal”Zero Tolerance For Terrorist Acts…”Jaishankar Sends Strong Message Against Terror at UNHRC’We Feel Your Pain’: PM Modi Shares ‘Pain Of Terror’ With Israel, Slams Hamas And October 7 Attack‘More Than A Friend, A Brother’: Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu Hails PM Modi During Knesset AddressPM Modi’s Visit to Israel End IAF’s Need For Tanker Aircrafts | Watch“Pride and Emotion”: Indian Diaspora Welcomes PM Modi to IsraelRed Carpet Optics In Tel Aviv: Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu Offers Grand Welcome To PM ModiPM Modi’s Israel Menu Revealed: From Gujarati Dishes to Local DelightsLondon-Based Indian Eatery Shuts Down After Owner Blames Pakistani Threats And Diaspora Tensions123Photostories7 modern Indian films that broke barriers and won international praiseMayank Pawar to Danish Zehen: Reality show contestants whose deaths shocked fansPCOS-related inflammation: 7 yoga poses that may support hormonal balance and metabolic healthKatie Leung,Regé-Jean Page to Freddie Stroma: Every ‘Harry Potter’ actor who starred in ‘Bridgerton’How to make Dhaba-style Panchmel Dal for dinner at home5 iconic real estate streets of Delhi; where all the elite livesFrom ‘Paa’ to ‘Kalki 2898 AD’: 12 performances that prove Amitabh Bachchan is Bollywood’s ultimate chameleon10 interesting ways to pack basi roti for school or office tiffin5 ultra-luxury SUVs designed for effortless long-distance touring5 best wildlife experiences that prove Rajasthan is more than forts and palaces123Hot PicksMumbai BMC BudgetTrump’s State of the UnionGold rate todayBihar wedding shootIncome Tax CalculatorPublic holidays February 2026Bank Holidays februaryTop TrendingKayla NicoleTyler LucasBrittany MahomesJosh Allen and Hailee Steinfeld Net WorthWinter OlympicsMegyn KellyPatrik LaineNFL Combine 2026Mel Owens DivorceNFL Trade News
NEW DELHI: International air travel in and out of India touched a new quarterly high and crossed the two-crore mark for the first time in October-December 2025.Despite travel to the US remaining subdued due to visa issues across categories such as students and H-1B during President Trump’s second presidency; Canada’s high rejection rate for Indian visa applicants and issuance delays and the reduction in flights by Air India after AI 171 Ahmedabad crash last June, last calendar year saw 7.8 crore people fly to and from India – 8% more than previous year’s 7.2 crore, according to DGCA data.While the share of foreign carriers has been static at 54% as India did not hike the flying rights of a majority of countries whose airlines have a large presence here, the share of Indian carriers has seen a change. In the recent past (after Jet’s demise), Air India group was the largest in terms of flying passengers in and out of the subcontinent.
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That changed in the July-Sept 2025 quarter, with IndiGo since then flying more than the AI Group (see graphic). “Almost 1.5 crore Indians were issued Passports last year. Only 33-35 lakh of these passport holders travelled abroad last year. So we have a large number of passport holders who are aspiring to travel but have not yet travelled. Combine this with the growing power of the Indian passport with more countries offering visa-on-arrival or visa free access and the growing aspiration of a booming middle class, this segment is bound to grow by leaps and bounds for many years to come. There has been a growth in direct connectivity between India and new destinations abroad , many in the nations frequented by Indians, that is fuelling demand,” said Anil Kalsi, Travel Agents Federation of India VP.Many countries in the neighbourhood like Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand count Indians among their bigger foreign spenders and overseas travellers.”Except North America, every other place is seeing a serious growth in demand from Indian travellers. Given the fact that Indians are very high spenders, many countries are increasingly welcoming them with open arms,” said officials.
