Indian aviation industry’s net loss likely to reduce to ₹11,000-12,000 crore in FY27: ICRA

Ratings agency ICRA in its latest report has said that Indian aviation industry’s net loss is likely to reduce to ₹11,000 crore -12,000 crore in the next financial year (FY27) from a projected ₹17,000 crore-18,000 crore in FY26, led by growth in domestic air passenger traffic and expected normalisation of operations post disruptions seen in 2025-26 that had resulted in flight cancellations and passenger refunds.

ICRA said domestic air passenger traffic is expected to grow by 6-8%, reaching around 175-179 million passengers in FY27. In December 2025, ICRA had revised its forecasts for the domestic air passenger traffic growth in FY26 to 0-3%, reaching 165-170 million, lower than its previous expectations of 4-6% on a YoY basis. ICRA has maintained a ‘stable outlook’ for the Indian aviation industry, supported by expectations of modest growth in domestic air passenger traffic and a gradually improving operating environment, despite near-term challenges.

According to the report, the international air passenger traffic growth for Indian carriers is expected to remain relatively stronger, aided by low base effect, expanding e-visa/visa-on-arrival coverage, and the Central Government's focus on developing theme-based and iconic tourist destinations.

It said the international air passenger traffic is seen growing at 7-9% for this financial year and 8-10% next year, and added that the current fiscal year has seen a period of modest domestic air passenger traffic growth due to cross-border escalations, weather-related disruptions, travel hesitancy following the June 2025 aircraft accident, the impact on business travel owing to the headwinds stemming from elevated US tariffs and operational disruptions at IndiGo in December 2025.

In the latest quarterly results, the domestic airliners reported mixed results, with Indigo posting 77% drop in the net profit at ₹549 crore. Meanwhile, SpiceJet posted a 77% rise in revenue and a narrowing of net loss to ₹268 crore