India’s Domestic Aviation Operations Nearing Pre-Covid Levels

An aircraft operated by IndiGo, a unit of InterGlobe Aviation Ltd., prepares to land at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata, India, on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020. The pandemic continues to destroy global aviation, with countries closing borders, companies slashing travel budgets and tourists deferring trips indefinitely. Photographer: Arko Datto/Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- India’s domestic civil aviation operations continue steadily and the sector is nearing pre-pandemic levels, according to Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.

As many as 257,613 passengers flew locally as on Jan. 22, compared with 30,000 passengers that traveled by air when such flights were restarted on May 25, Puri said in a Twitter post on Saturday. “We are now within touching distance of pre-Covid figures.”

IndiGo Recovering From Aviation ‘Carnage’ and May Rehire

India has allowed local airlines to fly limited schedules since May after two months of a strict nationwide lockdown, gradually opening up the domestic market.