City airport witnesses rise in air passengers
| Date :03-Nov-2020 |
Business Bureau :
Direct flights from Nagpur
to various destinations
1) Ngp--Mumbai
2) Ngp--Delhi
3) Ngp-- Pune
4) Ngp--Bangaluru
5) Ngp--Hyderabad
6) Ngp--Kolkata
7) Ngp--Ahmedabad
8) Ngp--Indore
9) Ngp--Bhubeneshwar
With more destinations available to travellers, the domestic aviation industry is witnessing a sharp rise in air passenger traffic. This is evident as the domestic airlines operating from Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport, Nagpur are currently providing direct flights to 9 destinations within the country, compared to 5 destination in the months of May-June.
This was revealed by Jatindra Nakade, former President of Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), Nagpur while talking to The Hitavada. He further said that air passenger traffic has gone up considerably at Nagpur airport which is handling an average 4,500 to 5,000 passengers daily compared to 1,000 to 2,000 passengers in the months of May-June. Domestic passenger services resumed on May 25 after two months of suspension due to coronavirus outbreak. Also, with the gradual unlocking of the economy and lifting of travel restrictions, passenger occupancy on flights has improved significantly at 60 per cent to 70 per cent compared to 25 per cent to 40 per cent earlier, he pointed out.
The domestic airlines like Indigo, GoAir and Air India provide direct flights from Nagpur airport to nine destinations like Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Bangaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Indore and Bhubeneshwar. These airlines are operating about 11 to 14 flights from Nagpur airport daily. On some of the busy routes like Ngp-Mumbai and Ngp-Delhi, airlines are providing two flights in a day. “With nine direct flights from Nagpur, a traveller can practically go to any of the major cities within the country,” a travel agent said. “The Government began opening up the aviation industry in a phased manner and allowed airlines to service more routes. This has provided a big boost to domestic airlines to increase flights resulting surge in air passenger traffic,” he said. Looking at the festive season, it is anticipated that more destinations and additional flights will be added by the airlines.
Another good thing is that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had announced lower and upper fare limits. This move will limit the escalation in air fares during the festive season especially during Diwali when the air fares used to shoot up to Rs 25,000 per ticket to destinations like Mumbai and Pune, he said. People are moving out and have started to travel by air for short holidays. Apart from this, business class and corporates have also started travelling on business trips, he added.