As demand for flying is set to increase during the upcoming festive season, the government is likely to increase the number of flights allowed to up to 75 per cent of pre-COVID levels in another week to ten days, aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri said today.
“The increase in the number of passengers taking domestic flights is encouraging and the need is to further increase the number of flights allowed. We are currently in discussions and may increase it to up to 75 per cent in a week to ten days,” Puri told reporters today.
He further added that according to his assessment, the number of daily air passengers is set to rise up to 200,000 by October-end, while pre-covid figures of 300,000 passengers per day will be reached between Diwali and New Year.
Puri added that international travel under air bubble arrangement is expected to continue at least till March-April next year or till the time there is a vaccine for covid-19.
International commercial flights remain suspended at least till 30 October. However, certain flights like repatriation, cargo, ones under air bubble arrangements, apart from special flights, are allowed to operate.
Indian airlines resumed domestic operations on 25 May, after being grounded for two months during a government-backed lockdown to contain the pandemic. At the time, airlines were allowed to operate only up to a third of their total capacity, with the cap later being increased to 45% and then to 60%.
Aviation secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said that aviation ministry officials have held talks with German airline Lufthansa, which earlier cancelled all flights to India till 20 October due to what it termed an “unexpected rejection" of its planned flight schedule for October by Indian authorities.
"Talks (with Lufthansa) were constructive and we are sure we will meet them soon and an air bubble arrangement (which is already in place) will be finalized with Germany," Kharola said.
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Source: DGCA, The Print & Economic Times
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