A significant majority of Indian air passengers believe that airlines are focusing more on advertising and branding than investing in core safety measures, according to a recent survey conducted by LocalCircles.

The pan-India online survey, which garnered over 44,000 responses from citizens across 322 districts, found that 76% of respondents felt many Indian airlines were spending more on publicity than on ensuring passenger safety.

The findings come in the wake of a series of troubling aviation incidents reported across the country, including the catastrophic crash of an Air India flight last month, which took off from Ahmedabad en route to London Gatwick. The crash claimed 241 lives on board and 19 on the ground, intensifying public concerns over airline safety and regulatory oversight.

Rising concerns over flight safety

In addition to concerns about airline spending priorities, the survey revealed a growing unease among passengers over the quality of flying experiences. When asked about flight conditions over the past three years, 64% of respondents reported experiencing at least one rough flight, involving a difficult takeoff, landing, or inflight situation.

A more detailed breakdown from 17,630 respondents showed:

• 75% claimed over 50% of their flights in the last three years were rough or traumatic

• 6% said 40–50% of their flights were rough

• Another 6% reported 30–40% of flights as problematic

• Only 9% experienced difficulties in 10–20% of flights

“These insights are reflective of a growing discomfort among Indian flyers who feel that while airlines are amplifying their brand image, safety standards and flying experience are not seeing proportional improvement,” LocalCircles said in its summary.

Demographic spread

The survey also offered insights into its respondent demographics:

• 63% of respondents were men, and 37% were women

• 46% came from Tier 1 cities, 25% from Tier 2, and the remaining 29% from Tier 3–5 and rural districts

The timing of the survey assumes particular relevance amid heightened scrutiny of India’s aviation sector. In recent weeks, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued safety advisories, ordered fleet-wide inspections, and conducted audits across carriers in response to multiple technical snags and near-miss incidents reported by pilots and airline engineers.

Aviation analysts argue that while India’s airline market is witnessing unprecedented growth, infrastructure, maintenance practices, and human factors must evolve in tandem. Safety should be at the core of expansion, not an afterthought.

The LocalCircles survey amplifies the voices of everyday passengers, many of whom are calling for greater transparency, accountability, and investment in training, maintenance, and aircraft systems to ensure their safety is never compromised in favour of marketing optics.