Domestic air traffic drops 57% on annual basis in Oct

NEW DELHI: Indian airlines carried 5.27 million passengers in October, down 57% year-on-year, as a relentless rise in covid cases has kept appetite for travel in, according to data released by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Passenger traffic, however, rose sequentially with more people taking to the skies as they travelled for the festive season. Scheduled commercial airlines had flown 3.94 million passengers during September.

The government also allowed airlines in India to sell seats up to 60% of an aircraft’s capacity on domestic flights during September, up from 45%, boosting travel. As of now, aircraft are allowed to fly at 70% capacity. Scheduled international commercial flights, however, remain suspended at least till 30 November.