More domestic flights likely soon: Minister

New Delhi, June 20 (IANS) To ease domestic mobility and accelerate passenger traffic growth, the Centre will allow flights to more destinations in the coming week.

Addressing the media here on Saturday, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said more destinations and frequencies would be added in the coming week. But these new flights and frequencies are likely to be within the 33 per cent capacity cap.

Till now the domestic passenger traffic averages 65-72,000 passengers a day. Over 700 flights a day are operating.

Since the re-start of domestic services in May 25, more than a million passengers have been ferried by airlines.

On re-start of international flights, Puri said it would depend on factors like ‘border acceptance’ norms in the arriving country and the traffic demand. He also hinted at the prospects of bilateral bubble arrangements, which will allow some international operations between countries.

At present, healthy demand for evacuation flights have been witnessed in the North America-India sector.

Stating that the ‘Vande Bharat’ mission has brought back 109,000 passengers, the Minister said, any increase in Vande Bharat flights was dependent upon the state government’s willingness and ability to absorb the returning passengers.

He said around 300 additional flights had been planned by Air India and Air India Express under the phase 3 and 4 of the mission. Around 750 flights have been offered to domestic private airlines under the mission.

–IANS

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