608 flights ferry over 41k passengers on Tuesday
New Delhi: A day after India resumed domestic flight services, a total of 608 aircraft ferrying 41,673 passengers were operated till 5 p.m. on Tuesday.
Taking to Twitter, Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that smooth operations were witnessed on Tuesday.
According to the minister, India’s airports have handled 325 departures and 283 arrivals with 41,673 passengers till 5 p.m. on Tuesday.
“Smooth operations of domestic civil aviation… Our airports have handled 325 departures & 283 arrivals with 41,673 passengers till 5 p.m. on May 26, the 2nd day after recommencement of domestic flights. Final report for the day will be prepared after details come in at midnight,” he tweeted.
Earlier during the day, the minister in a different tweet said that the number of passengers and flights were set to rise as air services to Andhra Pradesh were resumed on Tuesday.
“Airports are abuzz & passengers are back,” Puri tweeted.
He had said that 58,318 passengers flew to their destinations on 832 flights on Monday, the first day of resumption of air services after two months. “These numbers are set to soar,” he tweeted.
But for West Bengal, domestic flight services have been resumed to all states.
On Tuesday, over 135 scheduled departures were planned from Terminal 3 in the national capital, while arrivals stood at 140. However, 25 of these operations got cancelled.
Similarly, Mumbai’s CSMIA saw a total of 44 scheduled flights, which included 22 departures and 22 arrivals.
“Today’s operations went on smoothly compared to Monday, when several flights were cancelled and passengers were seen harried at airports across the country,” Nishant Pitti, CEO and co-founder of EaseMyTr ip.com, told IANS.
“More flights and passengers are expected in the coming days as several state governments are easing the restrictions,” he added.
Meanwhile, airline major IndiGo said that a passenger, who travelled on its Chennai to Coimbatore flight on Monday, has tested positive for Covid-19.
“We received confirmation from the Coimbatore airport doctor that a passenger who travelled on 6E 381 from Chennai to Coimbatore on May 25 evening has tested positive for Covid-19,” the airline said in a statement on Tuesday.
The passenger has been quarantined at the ESI state medical facility in Coimbatore.
“He was seated on-board the aircraft with all precautionary measures, including face mask, face shield and gloves, as were the other passengers.
“Additionally, no one else was seated in his vicinity, significantly reducing the possibility of transmission of the virus,” the statement added.
Besides, industry insiders pointed out that majority of bookings even on Tuesday were for flights between metro cities, due to the “pent-up demand”.
The Centre has allowed limited passenger flights — about one-third of the summer schedule — to operate between metros and other destinations from May 25.
Passenger air services were suspended on March 25 due to the nationwide lockdown to check the spread of Covid-19.
