Domestic flight operations resumed in Andhra Pradesh today, the minister further said and added that the numbers are all set to soar higher.
A passenger being checked for his temperature at an airport as domestic flights resumed on May 25. (Photo: Twitter | @HardeepSPuri)
As many as 58,318 passengers flew to their destinations on 832 flights on the first day of the resumption of domestic operations on Monday till midnight, Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri informed.
Domestic flight operations resumed in Andhra Pradesh today, the minister further said and added that the numbers are all set to soar higher.
Airports are abuzz & passengers are back in air.
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58,318 passengers flew to their destinations on 832 flights on the first day, 25th May till midnight.
Operations have started in Andhra Pradesh from today. These numbers are all set to soar higher.@PMOIndia @MoCA_GoI pic.twitter.com/eWB9KeS9W9
— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) May 26, 2020
Yesterday, as domestic air travel resumed after two months of lockdown due to the Coronavirus, the aviation minister shared a beautiful live capture from Flightradar24 showing how Indian skies looked busy once again.
Indians soar in the skies again!
A beautiful live capture from #flightradar24 shows how our skies look busy again as domestic civil aviation recommences in India from today.@MoCA_GoI @AAI_Official @DGCAIndia @flyspicejet @airindiain @IndiGo6E @airvistara @goairlinesindia pic.twitter.com/LytA1H8xcH
— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) May 25, 2020
However, the first day also saw some disappointment among passengers as over 80 flights to and from Delhi were cancelled without prior notice from the airlines.
Meanwhile, as mandated, airline officials and cabin crew were seen in full protective suit, while passengers in masks were checked for their temperatures before entry into airports.
The re-commencement of services came a day after massive spike in ticket cancellations, along with a drop in bookings, was reported by the aviation industry for Monday’s flights as several states had moved to limit air operations.
Consequently, in order to calm nervous passengers, the Centre said barring just two states — Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal — the rest of the country is open to accept domestic flights.
West Bengal, which was hit by cyclone AMPHAN last week, will restart flight operations on Thursday, May 28.
On May 20, the Government had informed that domestic flights would recommence in “calibrated manner” from May 25.
Passenger air services were suspended for both scheduled domestic and international flights since March 25, due to the imposition of the nationwide lockdown in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak.
Meanwhile, the Centre has said that it will try to start a good percentage of international passenger flights before August.
Union Civil Aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri Saturday said that if the virus gets under control, international flights could resume as early as mid June.
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