Just when the aviation industry gradually began to pick up, the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic happened and brought the already struggling aviation industry down to its feet. The domestic traffic has witnessed a continuous decline since April 1, 2021. The pandemic has forced people to limit their travel to only when necessary and both business and leisure travel has drastically reduced. According to a post analysis report by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the Delhi airport recorded a 29% decline, the Mumbai airport recorded a 30.9% decline and the Bengaluru airport recorded a 46.1% decline in Air Traffic Movement (ATM). This is in comparison to the air traffic movement on May 1.
As the international flights continue to remain suspended in India until June 30, international air traffic has also reduced. Only flights under the Vande Bharat Mission and air bubble pacts are presently operating.
When compared with the data from 2019, the number of ATMs in Bengaluru has seen a 68% decline wherein it has reduced from 19,642 in 2019 to 6,340 in May 2021.
From the analysis report, it is evident that Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru has witnessed this decline since the onset of a lockdown imposed in April 2021, because of which the passenger traffic instantaneously dipped while on the other hand, the number of flight cancellations increased.
In the month of May, the Kempegowda International Airport witnessed the highest number of flights being operated on May 1 which was 310, whereas it reached its lowest on May 24 when only 142 flights operated.
Additionally, the ATM of the Bengaluru airport in May 2021, when compared to the pre-pandemic period in January 2020, shows a 70% decline which signifies the looming threat of commercial loss over airports across the country.