Domestic Flights: Bulk of Civil Aviation Traffic Will be Back by Diwali, Says Hardeep Singh Puri

New Delhi: Giving hope to thousands of air passengers at this time of coronavirus, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday said that the bulk of pre-COVID-19 domestic air passenger traffic is likely to be back by Diwali this year. Also Read – Passengers From Countries Having Air Bubbles With India Won’t Have to Register With Indian Missions

Giving further details, Puri said that the Centre has plans to allow more flights from Mumbai and Kolkata. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, these two airports are having restricted operations for past many months. Also Read – Why Did You Take Part in Bidding Then? Hardeep Singh Puri Fires Salvo After Kerala Takes Legal Route Against Trivandrum Airport Privatisation

The Civil Aviation Minister said that the number of domestic passengers was 98,800 on August 23 and over 33 per cent of pre-Coronavirus figures have been achieved. He also added that the number of domestic passengers has been increasing at the rate of 5,000 a week. Also Read – ‘Here Are The Facts’: Aviation Minister Defends Thiruvananthapuram Airport Privatisation

Talking about plans to operate more flights, Puri said that post Ganesh Chaturthi, the Centre is planning to open up Mumbai airport more. On the other side, the Kolkata and Bengaluru airports will also be operated with 50 per cent mark.

Right now, the Mumbai airport is operating only 100 flights per day and West Bengal government has restricted flights from six covid hotspots such as Ahmedabad, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Nagpur, and Pune till August 31.

Talking about opening regular international flight services, Puri said India is negotiating with 13 countries. The country right now has air bubbles with 18 countries, including the US, the UK, Canada, Germany, and France.

To open up more international flights, Puri said that India is negotiating with 13 countries, including Australia, Japan and Singapore, to establish separate bilateral air bubble arrangements for international flight operations.

Under a bilateral air bubble pact, airlines of both the countries can operate international flights with certain restrictions.