Air travellers had a baggage problem in July

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Key points

• The DGCA data indicated that airlines received a total of 2, 196 passenger-related complaints in July, of which 31.3 per cent, or around 687 complaints, were related to baggage matters.
• (Catch all the Business News, Breaking News and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.).
• The figures come against the backdrop of a domestic aviation market that carried around 120 lakh passengers during July.
• Delayed, lost and mishandled: Air travellers had one major complaint in July, their baggage.
• Spicejetbaggage delaysair travel complaintspassenger dissatisfactiondomestic airlinesDGCA report on aviationairline complaint ratesIndiGo passenger statisticsSpiceJet complaint issuesIndiaOne Air.

Delayed, lost and mishandled: Air travellers had one major complaint in July, their baggage. By ANILast Updated: Aug 21, 2026, 12: 58: 00 PM IST.

Delayed and lost baggage caused the most passenger dissatisfaction in July. This matter accounted for almost one-third of all airline complaints received. Flight delays and refund challenges followed as significant passenger worries. While IndiGo carried most domestic passengers, airlines resolved most complaints. Overall passenger traffic indicated slight expansion from the previous year.

New Delhi: Delayed, lost and mishandled baggage emerged as the biggest source of passenger dissatisfaction among domestic airline travellers in July, accounting for almost one-third of all complaints received by airlines during the month, according to data issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The DGCA data indicated that airlines received a total of 2, 196 passenger-related complaints in July, of which 31.3 per cent, or around 687 complaints, were related to baggage matters. This created baggage-related grievances the largest complaint category, ahead of flight-related difficulties. It accounted for 20.6 per cent of complaints, and refund-related problems at 18.4 per cent.: Domestic air passenger traffic slips 4.80 pc to 1.20 crore in Jul: DGCA.

Notably, the figures come against the backdrop of a domestic aviation market that carried around 120 lakh passengers during July. Despite the sizeable passenger base, complaint levels remained relatively low at 1.83 complaints per 10, 000 passengers carried. Airlines resolved 2, 179 complaints during the month, representing 99.2 per cent of the total complaints received. The DGCA data additionally highlighted differences in passenger complaint rates throughout airlines. While IndiGo recorded 0.9 complaints per 10, 000 passengers and Star Air noted 1.9 complaints, indiaOne Air documented zero complaints per 10, 000 passengers carried during the month. At the other end of the spectrum, Alliance Air registered the highest complaint rate at 65.5 complaints per 10, 000 passengers, followed by SpiceJet at 3.7 complaints per 10, 000 passengers. Live Events.

Apart from baggage-related reservations, operational performance remained under scrutiny. The DGCA remarked 1.26 per cent of scheduled domestic flights were delayed by more than two hours in July. SpiceJet recorded the highest proportion of such delays at 28.37 per cent, followed by Fly91 at 2.55 per cent and Alliance Air at 1.47 per cent. According to The regulator, reactionary factors accounted for almost 65 per cent of flight delays during the month. Flight cancellations remained relatively limited, with 0.62 per cent of scheduled domestic flights cancelled in July. While operational reasons accounted for 27.4 per cent and weather-related factors for 22.7 per cent, technical problems were responsible for 39.9 per cent of cancellations. The traffic data additionally demonstrated continued dominance by IndiGo in the domestic aviation market. The airline carried 67.4 per cent of all domestic passengers in July, up from 66.3 per cent in June. Notably, the Air India Group accounted for 24 per cent of passengers, followed by Akasa Air with 5.5 per cent and SpiceJet with 1.6 per cent. On a cumulative basis, scheduled domestic airlines carried 984.03 lakh passengers during January-July 2026, compared with 977.79 lakh passengers during the corresponding period of the previous year, registering expansion of 0.64 per cent.: Air India international traffic plunges 36% as war, airspace curbs hit overseas operations Passenger load factors remained robust throughout major carriers in July, indicating sustained demand for air travel. While Air India Group and IndiGo recorded load factors of 83.2 per cent and 82.4 per cent, respectively, akasa Air documented a passenger load factor of 91.9 per cent. The DGCA data indicates that while passenger traffic remains robust and airlines continue to maintain high seat occupancy levels, baggage handling continues to be the most significant pain point for domestic air travellers, accounting for the largest share of customer complaints received during July. Add Now!

In short, air travellers had a baggage problem in July is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.