The domestic air passenger traffic grew by 2-3 per cent at around 68-69 lakh in September 2021, compared to 67 lakhs in August 2021. The airlines’ capacity deployment for September 2021 was around 54 per cent higher than September 2020. On a sequential basis, the number of departures in September 2021 were higher by 6 per cent, as Covid-19 infections demonstrated a downward trajectory.

Suprio Banerjee, Vice President & Sector Head, ICRA said: “For September 2021, the average daily departures were at 2,100, significantly higher than the average daily departures of 1,321 in September 2020, and higher than 1,900 in August 2021, though they remained lower than 2,200 in Jan 2021. The average number of passengers per flight during September 2021 was 113, against an average of 117 passengers per flight in August 2021. Though the recovery continued in September 2021, demand continues to be subdued from the corporate traveller segment as reflected by passenger traffic being lower by 38 per cent in September 2021 compared to pre-Covid levels”.