Mumbai, Patna, Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad, Leh, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Jammu and Kashmir have emerged as the top 10 destinations from Delhi in May and June 2021, the Delhi Airport noted.
New Delhi: Within days of resumption of normal activities after a horrific second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, the Delhi Airport has started witnessing three-times growth between mid-May and June-end in passenger numbers as many states have announced relaxation in lockdown and travel norms.
“Delhi Airport has witnessed over three times rise in domestic passenger numbers from around 18,000 per day in mid-May 2021 to over 62,000 per day at the end of June 2021,” the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said in a statement.
With a gradual lifting of the two-month-long country-wide lockdown in June 2021, the majority of air travellers in Delhi were in the ‘visiting family and friends’ category (48 per cent), followed by ‘vacation’ (25 per cent) and ‘business’ (19 per cent) travellers
“Those going for vacation were only 2 per cent in June 2020. During pre-Covid times (in June 2019), around 44 per cent flyers were vacationers, while 41 per cent were in visiting family and friends category,” the statement read.
Mumbai, Patna, Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad, Leh, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Jammu and Kashmir have emerged as the top 10 destinations from Delhi in May and June 2021, the Delhi Airport noted.
The number of international travellers also grew from around 4,500 per day in mid-May to nearly 7,500 per day in June end.
“DIAL has also installed AI-based passenger tracking system, which sends alerts to terminal staff if it detects any breach of social distancing norms at the entry gates, check-in, security check and security hold areas,” it added.
India and its aviation sector have been badly hit due to the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, which is receding currently but was in full force in April and May. Domestic flights had resumed in May last year when the country was battling the first wave.
Currently, the airlines are permitted to operate not more than 50 per cent of their pre-Covid domestic flights. Meanwhile, the government has extended the ban on commercial international passenger flights till July 31
