Hyderabad airport records 72% drop in passenger traffic compared to 2019

Hyderabad: The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad witnessed a sharp drop of 72 per cent in passenger traffic during April to December 2020, in comparison to the corresponding period in 2019.

Among the other major airports in India, the buzzing Mumbai port took the worst beating. The passenger traffic nosedived by 83 per cent whereas there was a 71 per cent decline in flight movements during the same period.

According to the data released by the Airport Authority of India (AAI), the Delhi and Bengaluru airports saw a 75 per cent decline in passenger traffic. The Hyderabad airport stands fourth with 72 per cent drop in passenger traffic. The statistics concluded that only a hand full of smaller airports witnessed a decline.

In the context of flight movement, the Delhi airport recorded a 62 per cent drop, Bengaluru a 60 per cent drop, and Hyderabad reported 61 per cent drop in flight movement. However, the governing body informed that the numbers are improving with flight volumes and passenger traffic on a steady rise.

"Ever since domestic air travel resumed in May 2020 post lockdown, the Central government has allowed Indian airlines to gradually add more flights. Currently, the airlines are being allowed to operate at 80 per cent of their pre-pandemic schedule. However, in the case of Mumbai airport, the flight movements are down due to added restrictions on flight movements imposed by the Maharashtra government" said the AAI.