692 domestic flights flew on June 1, operations picking up pace: Puri

Domestic air travel in the country is picking up the pace as 692 flights carrying 64,651 passengers operated on June 1 against 501 flights with 44,593 flyers the day before, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Tuesday.

Domestic services in India were suspended in March due to the coronavirus lockdown and resumed on May 25.

"Jump in the number of flyers from 44,593 on 31 May to 64,651 on 1st June is a welcome sign that our domestic operations are picking pace. Departures 692," Puri said on Twitter.

Indian carriers operated a total of 4,062 flights till June 1 -- 428 on May 25, 445 on May 26, 460 on May 27, 494 on May 28, 513 on May 29, 529 on May 30, 501 on May 31 and 692 on June 1.

During the pre-lockdown period, Indian airports handled around 3,000 daily domestic flights, aviation industry sources said.

In February, around 4.12 lakh passengers travelled daily through domestic flights in India, according to Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) data.

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Airports in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana and Tamil Nadu have been allowed to handle a restricted number of daily flights as these states do not want a huge influx of flyers amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases.

While domestic services resumed in Andhra Pradesh on May 26, they restarted in West Bengal two days later. International passenger flights continue to remain suspended in the country.