NEW DELHI: Omicron took a huge toll on India’s air traffic. DGCA data shows January 2022 saw domestic passenger 64 lakh, which is 42% less than last month’s 1.1 crore.
Pre-delta January 2021 saw 77.3 lakh people flying within the country.
The large airline saw an average domestic flight occupancy range from 73.4% of SpiceJet to 60.5% of AirAsia India in January 2022, impacted by Omicron, with a sharp drop in passengers.
While IndiGo had a domestic market share of 55.5%, GoAir was the most punctual airline last month in the four metros – Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai, according to DGCA data.
Now with the improvement of Omicron’s situation, passenger numbers have started to increase again.
All eyes are now on when the government allows the resumption of scheduled international flights that were suspended in March 2020.
The airline industry is hoping that this time after Delta, delays on this front can be avoided.
Regular international flights were allowed to resume from December 15, 2021, long after the delta wave subsided. But by then Omicron had installed it and the restoration was postponed again. The industry is expecting them to resume as soon as possible now.
“International flight options under the air bubble are few and therefore very expensive. The world, including India, is now doing away with the stringent testing and quarantine requirement for international inbound. If a certain date, such as March 10, is announced to resume flights without delay, airlines will add more flights to their booking systems. The increased supply will enable people to book cheap international tickets for travel this summer. Otherwise people will be forced to buy expensive tickets,” said a travel agent.
Pre-delta January 2021 saw 77.3 lakh people flying within the country.
The large airline saw an average domestic flight occupancy range from 73.4% of SpiceJet to 60.5% of AirAsia India in January 2022, impacted by Omicron, with a sharp drop in passengers.
While IndiGo had a domestic market share of 55.5%, GoAir was the most punctual airline last month in the four metros – Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai, according to DGCA data.
Now with the improvement of Omicron’s situation, passenger numbers have started to increase again.
All eyes are now on when the government allows the resumption of scheduled international flights that were suspended in March 2020.
The airline industry is hoping that this time after Delta, delays on this front can be avoided.
Regular international flights were allowed to resume from December 15, 2021, long after the delta wave subsided. But by then Omicron had installed it and the restoration was postponed again. The industry is expecting them to resume as soon as possible now.
“International flight options under the air bubble are few and therefore very expensive. The world, including India, is now doing away with the stringent testing and quarantine requirement for international inbound. If a certain date, such as March 10, is announced to resume flights without delay, airlines will add more flights to their booking systems. The increased supply will enable people to book cheap international tickets for travel this summer. Otherwise people will be forced to buy expensive tickets,” said a travel agent.
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