That is why the Mumbai-Delhi route is witnessing a neck-and-neck battle between the country’s two largest airline groups — IndiGo and Air India Group, including Air India Express — for supremacy in the skies. Meanwhile, Akasa Air, which doubled its flights on the route between April and September, is emerging as a serious third player, pushing SpiceJet further behind.
Between April and September 2026, based on scheduled seat data from Cirium, Air India Group operated 4,768 flights on the route, ahead of India’s largest airline IndiGo, which operated 4,056 flights.
In terms of seats, however, IndiGo was marginally ahead with 892,190 seats during the period, accounting for a 42.8 per cent share, compared with Air India Group’s 873,970 seats and 41.9 per cent share.
The difference reflects the configuration of their aircraft. Air India, as a full-service carrier, generally operates aircraft with fewer seats than IndiGo, a low-cost carrier.
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During April-September, Akasa’s share of total seats on the route crossed double digits for the first time, reaching 10.7 per cent compared with just 6 per cent in the corresponding period last year.
In contrast, SpiceJet was far behind with a 4.4 per cent share of seat capacity this year.
Akasa’s rapid expansion can also be seen in the number of flights it operates on the route. The airline doubled its flights to 1,176 during the April-September period.
Akasa’s expansion is not limited to the Mumbai-Delhi route. The airline is also increasing its presence in the National Capital Region and Navi Mumbai by leveraging the new airports.
Based on September seat capacity, Akasa is now the third-largest player on the Navi Mumbai-Delhi route, with 9.5 per cent of overall seat capacity. IndiGo is the largest carrier on the route, followed by Air India Express.
On the Mumbai-Noida airport route, Akasa has an even stronger position. With 30 flights scheduled in September, its share of seat capacity is estimated at 51.2 per cent, putting it ahead of IndiGo.
The Mumbai-Delhi route has bucked the broader trend across the country, where several of the top 10 domestic routes have seen a sharp fall in seat capacity amid higher fares following the West Asia crisis.
According to OAG data, Mumbai-Delhi seat capacity grew 13.9 per cent year-on-year in September to 677,300 seats, the highest seat capacity offered on any domestic route in the country.
In contrast, seat capacity on the Bengaluru-Delhi route declined 1.8 per cent, while Mumbai-Chennai fell 8.5 per cent and Mumbai-Hyderabad dropped 9.5 per cent, among other major routes.
The numbers underline the strategic importance of Mumbai-Delhi, where the battle between IndiGo and Air India remains exceptionally close even as Akasa Air rapidly builds scale and emerges as the clear third player.
