INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Jyotiraditya Scindia has said domestic air passenger traffic will normalise in two monthsNew Delhi: Daily air passenger numbers are likely
to cross the pre-pandemic levels in the next two months, civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Monday.Addressing a event, the
emergence of Omicron infections late last year.Airlines were allowed to operate at full capacity from October 18, 2021."In November,
December, we started hitting numbers of 3.8 to 3.9 lakh passengers per day
that will herald new demand, new capacity coming in, both at airports and airlines," Mr Scindia said.Last month, domestic airlines carried
64.08 lakh passengers, a decline of 17.14 per cent compared to the year-ago period
In January last year, the traffic stood at 77.34 lakh passengers, according to data provided by Directorate General of Civil Aviation
(DGCA).The country's civil aviation sector was significantly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and the sector's loss was around Rs
19,000 crore in the last fiscal ended March 2021.In the wake of the pandemic, domestic commercial flights were suspended for two months
starting from March 25, 2020 while commercial international flights remain suspended since March 23, 2020
Currently, overseas flights are being operated under bilateral air bubble arrangements.Mr Scindia also urged states to reduce the value
added tax (VAT) levied on air turbine fuel (ATF), which accounts for about 40 per cent of an airline's operational costs.The minister said
that 24 states and union territories have cut VAT on jet fuel.
