India outperformed China in terms of air travel demand in January as its domestic air passenger traffic logged a healthy 17.9 per cent growth over the year- ago period, according to the data released on Wednesday by IATA. The overall air traffic during this period posted 4.6 per cent growth with international traffic growing 5.4 per cent and domestic travel demand going up by 3.2 per cent, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said.
According to IATA, China's domestic air travel rose just 2.1 per cent in January of this year compared to the year ago due to the timing of the lunar New Year falling in February (a month later than in 2014) as well as a contraction in volumes in January as compared to December, after adjusting for seasonal factors.However, the passenger-carrying capacity in India declined by 1.2 per cent despite a healthy load factor of 84 per cent recorded during the month, said the global airlines' body. "The 4.6 per cent growth in global air traffic represents a slower start to the year compared to the 2014 full-year growth of 5.9 per cent.