On Friday, private carriers operated a total of 2,198 flights until 5 p.m. (Representative)
New Delhi:
More than 1.65 lakh people traveled on 2198 flights until Friday afternoon after the government authorized partial resumption of domestic services from Monday amid the coronavirus-induced shutdown.
Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, who shares daily updates on the number of flights and passengers, said: “Our airports continue to operate smoothly”.
So far, 16 asymptomatic passengers on seven different flights have tested positive for the new coronavirus after landing in their respective destinations.
Private carriers operated a total of 2,198 flights until 5 p.m. Friday – 428 on Monday, 445 on Tuesday, 460 on Wednesday, 494 on Thursday and 371 on Friday.
In the run-up to the foreclosure, Indian airports handled about 3,000 domestic flights a day, according to aviation industry sources.
Domestic flight operations resumed in the country Monday after an interval of two months due to the closure of the coronavirus. International passenger flights remain suspended.
“Day 5, May 29, 2020 until 5:00 p.m. Departures 371. 30,814 passengers processed. Arrivals 324. 27,212 passengers processed,” tweeted Mr. Puri.
In another tweet, he said: “Figures for domestic flights from May 28, 2020 at 2359 hours: day 4, departures 494, 38,078 passengers processed, arrivals 493, 38,389 passengers processed”.
On Wednesday, 460 planes flew 34,336 passengers.
The minister tweeted on Tuesday: “Our skies and our airports are busy again. On May 26, the second day of resumption of domestic passenger flights in India, our airports handled 62,641 passengers out of 445 departures and 447 arrivals. The whole operation of the airport went smoothly. Only 6 departures were postponed. “
An official said that the number of flyers on Tuesday was cumulative of departures and arrivals and that the actual number would be around half.
On Monday, a total of 428 domestic flights carrying 30,550 passengers were operated.
In February, when the lockout was not enforced, about 4.12 lakh passengers traveled daily on domestic flights in India, according to data from the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The airports of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana and Tamil Nadu have been allowed to handle a limited number of daily flights, as these states do not want a massive influx of travelers from the growing number of cases of COVID-19.
While domestic services resumed Tuesday in Andhra Pradesh, they resumed Thursday in West Bengal.
Although domestic flight operations across the country started on May 25, they could not be restarted in Kolkata and Bagdogra because West Bengal machines were involved in relief and restoration work after the devastation Cyclone Amphan.
A total of 16 asymptomatic passengers on seven different flights, including 13 who traveled with IndiGo, have tested positive for COVID-19 since the resumption of domestic air services.
Two of the three other asymptomatic passengers who tested positive for the infection had traveled with Spicejet while one took a flight from Air India’s subsidiary Air Alliance.
