Indians are traveling again, boosting tourism and demanding airline fuel in the country

Passengers at IGI Airport in New Delhi on August 24, 2021. bloomberg photo

Form of words:

New Delhi: People across India are taking to the skies after months of being stuck in their homes during a deadly Covid-19 wave, fueled by a surge in demand for jet fuel, the oil product hit hardest by the ongoing pandemic.

Indians have gathered tourist spot From the beaches of Goa on the west coast to the mountainous north on planes and across the country cars After the easing of restrictions. Air travel has grown exponentially, said Subhash Goyal, president of STIC Travel – one of India’s largest travel agents, estimating that domestic flights are at around 75% of pre-virus levels this month.

That translated to the biggest month-on-month increase in jet fuel sales in more than a year, according to preliminary data for the first half of August, although sales are down 45% from the same period in 2019.

India is proving to be a bright spot for jet fuel demand after the fast-spreading Delta version of the virus disrupted it. health benefit In air travel from America to China. However, the revival could be fleeting, with the government warning of a surge in infections in early October. vaccination rate Don’t accelerate

“I missed an office holiday in Mexico because of the international travel ban,” said 46-year-old Surojit Dasgupta. “It was disappointing and I decided to make up for the loss by traveling to domestic places where another wave was allowed before bringing us back to our homes.”

Airlines started seeing a surge in demand last month. According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, over 5 million passengers took domestic flights in July, a 61% increase from June. STIC President Goyal is predicting that August will be a better month for air travel across India.

Jet fuel sales during August 1-15 rose 25% from a month earlier to about 165,600 tonnes, and were up 48% from the same period in 2020, according to data from officials familiar with the data earlier this month. However, at least one refiner is taking a cautious approach to the jet fuel outlook.

“We need to see how things play out for a month or two before making any projections on demand,” said Mukesh Kumar Surana, chairman of state-run Hindustan Petroleum Corp. be anything to worry about. “- bloomberg


Read also: Petrol demand shows V-shaped recovery as Indians head out for shopping, holiday


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