Indian airlines cut September seats 4.5%: Thailand down 23%, the UK up 16%

The numbers

Schedule data from the aviation analytics firm OAG, reported by Business Today on 5 September, shows Indian carriers have scheduled 22.7 million seats for September 2026 — down 4.5% year on year, and below the 23.5 million they offered in August. Domestic capacity is down 5.6% and international capacity down 2.1%.

By airline: IndiGo has 11.3 million seats, down 4.5% or 525,600 fewer than a year ago; Air India has 3.2 million, down 8.8% or 309,000 fewer; Air India Express is down 2.6%, or 68,000 seats; SpiceJet is down 45.2%, or 215,000 seats. Akasa Air is the only carrier in the list adding capacity, up 5%.

Where the international cuts fall

The UAE remains the largest single international market with 1.1 million seats, 28% of all international capacity from India, but it is down 5%. The sharpest fall is Thailand, where seats are down 23% to 238,000. Moving the other way, Saudi Arabia is up 12% to 336,000 seats and the United Kingdom is up 16% to 200,000.

What it means for your booking

Capacity is the supply side of the fare you pay. Fewer seats into the festive season on the two biggest short-haul markets — Thailand at −23% and the UAE at −5% — means less discounting and earlier sell-outs on the popular dates, so those are the trips to book now rather than in October.

The UK is the outlier in the other direction: 16% more seats from India this month is unusual for a long-haul market, and more supply generally shows up as better availability on award seats and premium cabins as much as in headline fares. None of this is a forecast — it is what the airlines have already filed.

Sources

This report is based on the following published sources. Rules and schedules change — confirm with the issuing authority before you travel.

• Festive season revival? Indian airlines’ capacity continues to shrink — Business Today, 05 September 2026