Indian airlines trim capacity — but not everywhere

India’s scheduled airline capacity is expected to fall 4.5% year-on-year to 22.7 million seats in September, according to OAG data cited by the Financial Express. Domestic capacity is down 5.6% to 15 million seats, while international capacity has fallen 2.1% to 7.7 million. The Financial Express

Yet airlines are not simply shrinking. Capacity is being moved towards stronger markets: Mumbai–Delhi capacity is reported up 13.9%, while Bengaluru–Pune is up 26.8%.

The takeaway for agents: 2026 is becoming less about headline network growth and more about yield-led network optimisation.