Indian airlines incurred losses of ₹16,000 crore in the first nine months of this fiscal through March, civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Thursday. Airports lost an additional ₹3,000 crore during the period as covid-related curbs crimped air travel.
Domestic air traffic fell to about 30 million passengers during April and December 2020 from 108 million passengers a year earlier, Puri informed the Lok Sabha. He said international traffic plunged to about 5.59 million in the same period from about 52.1 million a year earlier.
India lifted a two-month on domestic air travel on 25 May with airlines allowed to sell up to 80% of their pre-covid capacity. A ban, however, remains on international commercial flights, which currently run through April-end. Only dedicated cargo flights and flights under bilateral air bubble pacts with select countries are allowed.
