The coronavirus pandemic has hit the aviation industry hard. Both domestic and international flights were suspended from March to May amid a strict lockdown announced by the government to stop the spread of the disease. According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), 21.07 lakh people took domestic flights on July this year which was 82.3% less than the number in the same month last year.

“The passenger load factor in the month of July 2020 has shown a sharp decline due to limited air operations because of COVID-19 outbreak,” DGCA said. A total of 19.84 lakh passengers travelled domestically in June this year, it added.

Domestic flights resumed from May 25 after nearly two months of lockdown. However, airlines were allowed to operate a maximum of 45 per cent of their pre-COVID number of flights.

National carrier Air India and top private operators reported just 50 to 60% occupancy rate in June as people avoided travelling amid rising numbers of coronavirus cases. Only Spicejet recorded an occupancy rate of 70%.

The occupancy rate for other major airlines IndiGo, GoAir, Vistara, AirAsia India and Air India in July stood at 60.2 %, 50.5%, 53.1%, 56.2% and 45.5% respectively, PTI reported quoting the aviation regulator.