India has the world's fastest growing passenger airline industry

New Delhi - India has the world's fastest growing passenger airline industry, expanding at an annual rate of around 20%. Here are some facts and figures.

How many Indians fly

Nearly 90 million people in the financial year that ended in March 31 2016, according to industry analysts CAPA - up from fewer than 20 million in 2004, when the sector first opened up. But the country of 1.2 billion remains one of the world's most under-penetrated markets with huge potential for growth.

Main players

The market leader is Indigo, with 400 planes and a 42% market share.

Next are Jet Airways with 17% of the market; Air India with 12.9% and SpiceJet with 12.8%.

Biggest deals

SpiceJet's announcement on Friday that it is buying up to 205 planes worth $22bn is one of India's biggest ever deals - but not the biggest.

In 2015 Indigo ordered 250 planes from Airbus valued at $26.5bn.

Those figures, however, represent the list price of the aircraft. Analysts say airlines buying in bulk generally secure hefty discounts.

Profits and losses

India's airlines posted a combined profit of $122m for the financial year ending March 2016 after a decade of losses, according to estimates by industry analyst CAPA, thanks mainly to lower fuel prices.

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