Domestic air passenger traffic cross pre-Covid levels, reach 1.29 crore in Dec 2022

The aviation sector in India continues to display a booming phase, as in December 2022, the monthly domestic air passenger traffic touched 1.29 crore to cross the pre-Covid levels. Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia termed the numbers as a good sign and a healthy trend for the aviation industry.

Prior to the outbreak of the Covid-19 levels (2019), the number of domestic passengers was 1.26 crore. During the pandemic-induced lockdown and other restrictions, the aviation sector was completely shut and the industry was facing huge losses. Even as the restrictions eased, the sector gradually came out of the blow and currently seems to have recovered.

While the passenger levels are rising rapidly, the airport infrastructure seems to be in a need of attention. Analysts and experts from the aviation sector point towards the rising chaotic scenes at the airports due to a large amount of rush of passengers.

“Airport infrastructure at metro airports such as Delhi and Mumbai will be stretched for the next 18 months. While the two airports are taking measures to meet rising demand, it may ease capacity constraints in the next 1-2 quarters. Additionally, the rise in demand and increasing fleet size will put further pressure on the airside at these airports over the next 18 months or so," said Jagannarayan Padmanabhan, director and practice leader, of Crisil Market Intelligence and Analytics, said.

Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru are the three major airports of India which handles the majority of passengers, especially international travelers.

The news also came amid a fresh rise in cases of Covid-19 across the globe and many countries are beefing up the Covid-19 protocols at the airports.

Several countries have imposed restrictions on travelers from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, etc. which is witnessing a rise in the number of cases. The Indian state of Karnataka also mandated 7-day quarantine for passengers from these countries.