Giving a boost to the Indian aviation sector as well as the economy, international air passengers (both Indians and foreigners) checking into India’s airports finally marked a new height as their number touched 1,06,827 on Friday, the highest level post the COVID-19.
This also comes at a time when the country’s domestic air passenger traffic scaled a new peak of 4,63,417 on Thursday, reaching new highs at least four times — on November 23, 20, 19, and 20.
The breakup of the passengers, such as business, tourism, medical, and hospitality, was yet to be ascertained, though officials believed the growth could have augmented in the business and tourism sector as of now.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)’s data showed India’s domestic air traffic in October 2023 rose 10.78 per cent compared to the corresponding month in previous year.
Domestic airlines carried 126.36 lakh passengers in October compared to 114.07 lakh passengers the airlines carried in October 2022.
Sharing the piece of information through a social media post, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Saturday that international air passenger traffic stood at 1,06, 827 on November 24 and it was the “highest post-Covid international air traffic.
“A landmark day for Indian aviation sector! After reaching the milestone of carrying 4.63 lakh daily domestic passengers, the sector has achieved yet another feat of carrying more than 1 lakh daily international passengers,” he said.
“Post-Covid, India’s domestic aviation’s turnaround story has not just been overwhelming but inspiring as well.
Positive attitude, progressive policies, and deep trust among passengers are taking it to new heights with every flight, every day,” the Civil Aviation Ministry said in a post on X on Friday.
There were 4.52,925 air domestic passengers travelled and the total flight movement stood at 5,918 on November 22. Similarly, there were 3,88537 domestic passengers and the total flight movement stood at 5,502 on November 21.
On November 20 there were 4,59,526 passengers and the total flight movements stood at 5,958.
Buoyed by an emerging middle class hankering to fly, India’s aviation industry is growing at an astonishing clip.
Even before the industry was slammed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the fight for survival was intense, with four new airports and four new terminals opening in the past 12 months.
At present, there are 131 operational airports in India, including 29 international, 92 domestic, and 10 custom airports. Nine additional airports have been approved and many more are planned. In Jewar, 75km from Delhi, a second airport for the capital is also mushrooming.
The government aims to develop 100 airports by 2024 under the UDAN Scheme and plans to invest $1.83 billion in airport infrastructure development by 2026. So far, 74 airports have been developed, and over 2.15 lakh UDAN flights have operated, benefiting over 1.1 crore passengers.
To encourage both domestic and international fliers, the government plans to review existing DGCA rules to make them more passenger-friendly and ensure airlines provide assistance to passengers affected by delays, cancellations, or denied boarding.
IndiGo passengers recently faced issues when they were not flown to their destination as per their original booking, raising questions about consumer rights. The government aims to simplify the rules and display them at airports to inform passengers of their rights and duties. This change is prompted by the resurgence of consumer interest as domestic air traffic surpasses pre-pandemic levels.