Domestic Air Traffic Recovers, Traffic Up 42% In June

Domestic Air Passenger came on a growth spurt in June, with the number of cases of Covid-19 infection declining in the country. Last month (June 2021), about 3 million passengers traveled by air on local routes, compared to 20 lakhs in May. Credit Rating ICRA said in a report on Tuesday that although there has been some recovery in June, the demand is still low. 

The reason for this is the second wave of the pandemic due to which people are traveling only when necessary. On a monthly basis, the domestic passenger traffic in June was about 42% higher than the previous May. However, there has been an increase of 51% in the number of domestic passengers every year. 

The government has allowed airlines to increase the capacity to 65% with effect from July 5, which will be effective till July 31. Domestic passenger traffic stood at around 29-30 lakh in June this year. Whereas in May it was around 19.8 lakh. The airline’s capacity was reduced from 80% to 50% in May in a government order. ICRA Vice President Kijal Shah said that the number of passengers per flight was 94 in June 2021, which was 77 in May earlier. 

He said that June saw some recovery, but demand remained under pressure. The reason for this is the second wave of the pandemic. Due to this people are taking precautions and traveling only when necessary. According to Shah, despite the reduction in the rate of infection, restrictions are still in place in various states. Due to this travel for holiday and business purposes has been curtailed.