Post second wave: Mumbai airport sees slight increase in passenger traffic in June

As the impact of the second wave has decreased across the country, Mumbai airport has seen a slight uptick in passenger traffic

As the impact of the second wave has decreased across the country, Mumbai airport has seen a slight uptick in passenger traffic. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), in the first 20 days of June surged past the total passenger volume of May.

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According to data sourced from CSMIA, total passenger traffic from June 1 to June 22 crossed 4.65 lakhs as compared to 4.34 lakhs in May. Passenger footfall had started declining after the impact of the second wave of Covid-19 was largely seen in the country.

According to booking.com, Mumbai is the second city to see more travellers after Delhi in June. Thomas Cook and SOTC too said that a large number of Indians have resumed travel in June, resulting in more passenger traffic across the country.

A Mumbai airport official said, “We are happy to see more footfalls this month as compared to May when the passenger traffic drastically fell.”

As lockdown restrictions have begun to ease, data from Booking.com reflected consumer travel optimism with Indian travellers searching for destinations that can be safely explored during the monsoon months.

CSMIA spokesperson confirmed the rise in passenger traffic and said, “The number of passenger traffic had fallen down from 1,041,110 in April to 434,680 in May. However, until June 22, the passenger traffic was noted to be 465,470. As a result of the increasing passenger footfall, air traffic at CSMIA too has risen from around 200 flights per day to around 350 flight movements per day.”

Booking.com said their research was conducted among a sample of adults (28,042 respondents across 28 countries, including India) who are planning to travel in the next 12 months. “Respondents completed an online survey in January 2021, “Around 72% of Indian travellers say that travel is more important to them now than it was before the pandemic. New Delhi emerged as the top destination booked by Indian travellers travelling domestically, followed by Lonavala and Mumbai,” said Ritu Mehrotra, regional manager, South Asia at Booking.com

Recent ‘Back to Travel’ research by Booking.com found 68% Indian travellers stated that not being able to travel extensively in 2020 has made them yearn for travel even more in 2021.

The research also mentions that 70% Indian travellers have used the increased time at home to plan future travel while 64% have banked more vacation days, so are excited about the potential of taking longer vacations in 2021.