Chennai Airport Ranks No. 1 For Punctuality In May, IndiGo Leads Airlines

India's domestic aviation sector continued its steady growth in 2026, with passenger traffic rising during the first five months of the year. Alongside increasing demand, operational efficiency remained a key focus for airlines and airports. New data for May 2026 by the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) reveals that Chennai International Airport recorded the highest on-time performance (OTP) among the country's 10 major airports, outperforming major aviation hubs such as Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Among scheduled domestic carriers, IndiGo recorded the strongest punctuality performance during May 2026.

Domestic Passenger Traffic Registers Growth

According to the latest aviation data, domestic airlines carried 729.40 lakh passengers between January and May 2026, compared to 715.70 lakh passengers during the same period in 2025.

This represents:

• Annual growth: 1.91%
• Monthly growth: 9.49%

The data points to continued resilience in India's domestic aviation market, with passenger numbers remaining on an upward trajectory.

Chennai Tops Airport On-Time Performance Rankings

On-time performance (OTP) measures how effectively flights adhere to their scheduled departure and arrival times. Among India's 10 major airports, Chennai International Airport recorded the highest OTP in May 2026 at 92.2%.

Here are the top 10 airports ranked by OTP:

1. MAA - Chennai International Airport - 92.2%
2. CCU - Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata - 84.7%
3. HYD - Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad - 84.4%
4. BLR - Kempegowda International Airport, Bangalore - 82.3%
5. COK - Kochi International Airport - 81.5%
6. AMD - Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad - 76.7%
7. LKO - Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Lucknow - 76.7Z%
8. GAU - Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, Guwahati - 75.3%
9. DEL - Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi - 72.6%
10. BOM - Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai - 70.5%

IndiGo Leads Airlines In On-Time Performance

Among scheduled domestic carriers, IndiGo recorded the strongest punctuality performance during May 2026.

1. IndiGo - 82.8
2. Akasa Air - 78.3
3. Air India Group - 74.5
4. Alliance Air - 70.5
5. Spice Jet - 26.5

IndiGo remained comfortably ahead of its competitors, while Akasa Air secured the second spot.

Akasa Air Clocks Least Domestic Flight Cancellations

Akasa Air proved reliable with the fewest domestic flight cancellations in  May, followed by IndiGo and the Air India Group. The overall cancellation rate for scheduled domestic airlines stood at 0.55% in May 2026.

1. Indiaone Air - 5.58
2. Alliance Air - 4.29
3. Spice Jet - 4.04
4. Fly91 - 1.74
5. Star Air - 0.83
6. Air India Group - 0.39
7. Indigo - 0.36
8. Akasa Air - 0.1

Major Reasons For Domestic Flight Cancellations In May

Technical issues were the leading cause of flight cancellations in May 2026, accounting for nearly half of all cancelled services. Operational issues and weather-related disruptions were the next most significant factors affecting airline schedules.

1. Technical - 45.1%
2. Operational - 26.6%
3. Weather - 15.3%
4. Misc - 11.6%
5. Commercial - 1.4%

As domestic passenger traffic continues to grow, punctuality and reliability are likely to remain key indicators for travellers choosing airlines and airports across India.