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Indian carriers flew 9,593 more domestic passengers a day in April, compared to March, according to data from the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), which was reviewed by Business Standard.
The average daily domestic air passenger traffic increased by 2.3 per cent month-on-month to 428,778 passengers in April.
On the other hand, the average daily international air passenger traffic in April was 1 per cent less month-on-month at 172,058. However, tourist outflow is expected to pick up in May with the onset of the travel season.
Ameya Joshi, an aviation analyst and founder of the aviation blog “Network Thoughts”, told Business Standard that considering the ongoing examination season in some states, the average number of domestic passengers per day has “significantly” increased in April over March. “The second half of April is when traffic picks up, going into May,” he added.
This traffic increase in the latter half of April is evident from the fact that Indian carriers carried the highest-ever daily domestic passengers (456,082) on April 30, he said.
Joshi noted that the month-on-month increase in May is expected to be higher than in April as the tourist season begins in May. “Also, grounded planes of a few airlines may return to service during the month, aiding overall capacity,” he said.
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Joshi said the 1 per cent fall in international air traffic is according to expectations. “For international traffic, there are two peaks. One peak comes in December, which is driven by persons of Indian origin/diaspora and foreigners. The other peak comes in May when Indians head out. April, in that sense, is slightly muted, which the numbers are indicating as well,” Joshi added.
