From 3,000 daily flights pre-lockdown, Indian airports now handle just a few hundred amid restrictions

Domestic services were suspended in India due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown and resumed after a gap of two months on May 25.
Aeroplanes parked at Chennai airport during the ongoing COVID-19 nationwide lockdown in Chennai. (Photo | Martin Louis, EPS)
Aeroplanes parked at Chennai airport during the ongoing COVID-19 nationwide lockdown in Chennai. (Photo | Martin Louis, EPS)

NEW DELHI:  A total of 369 domestic flights carrying 35,055 passengers operated in India till 5 PM on Sunday, said Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.

Domestic services were suspended in India due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown and resumed after a gap of two months on May 25.

Earlier during the day, he said a total of 529 flights carrying 45,646 passengers had operated on Saturday.

Indian carriers operated a total of 2,340 flights till Friday -- 428 on Monday, 445 on Tuesday, 460 on Wednesday, 494 on Thursday and 513 on Friday.

"Domestic operations on 31st May till 1700 hrs. Departures 369. 35,055 passengers handled," Puri said on Twitter on Sunday.

"Domestic operations on 30th May 2020 (Day 6) till 2359 hrs. Departures 529. 45,646 passengers handled.

Arrivals 530. 45,622 passengers handled," he said.

A departure is counted as a flight during the day.

During the pre-lockdown period, Indian airports handled around 3,000 daily domestic flights, aviation industry sources said.

In February, when the lockdown was not imposed, around 4.

12 lakh passengers travelled daily through domestic flights in India, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) data.

Airports in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana and Tamil Nadu are handling a restricted number of daily flights as these states do not want a huge influx of flyers amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases.

While domestic services resumed in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, they restarted in West Bengal on Thursday.

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