India's air traffic to return to pre-Covid levels later this year: Boeing

India's civil aviation ministry has allowed airlines to operate 80 per cent of capacity

Boeing expects air traffic in India to recover to pre-Covid level by end of this year. International traffic will recover only by 2023, said Boeing India president Salil Gupte on Thursday.

"Our customers are cautiously optimistic about demand recovery," Gupte said, adding that visiting friends and relatives will drive growth in India. Business travel will come back in India earlier than other markets, he remarked.

Domestic air traffic halved in 2020 compared to 2019 when a weeks-long lockdown shuttered aviation. The civil aviation ministry now allows airlines to operate 80 per cent of capacity. While traffic is growing month on