NEW DELHI: Output in the air transport sector contracted nearly 14% in April, NSO’s maiden index of services production (ISP) data released Tuesday show – in what could be a reflection of the impact of high fare costs imposed due to increased fuel prices because of the ongoing conflict in West Asia. In contrast, the sector has witnessed a growth of 4.5% in April 2025. Railways too, registered a slight decline (-0.4%) in output during April.Barring these two sectors, output in the formal services sector remained resilient during the month, with 14 of the 19 sub sectors, for which NSO made data available, registering double-digit growth. These 19 sub-sectors currently account for around 60% of the formal services sector- which contributes more than half of the country’s gross value added (GVA).Food and accommodation (37.2%) recorded the highest growth in the output during April, reflecting that high commercial cooking fuel prices did not dampen domestic demand. This was followed by retail trade (30.8%), administrative and support services (28.7%), real estate (27.7%) and telecom (22.8%).
