The Indian city of Mumbai has experienced a recent surge in air passenger traffic at its main airport, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, courtesy of the Indian festival the Raksha Bandhan, which took place between the 16th and 22nd of August 2021.
Data provided by the airport indicates that more than 315,000 passengers were recorded as passing the airport’s security area during the festival dates. The passenger volume is nearly six times the air passenger traffic recorded during Raksha Bandhan in 2020 (between 31st of July and 6th of August). Suffice to say that the upward trends from 2020 to 2021 can be attributed to relaxed lockdown restrictions, including air travel, both within the city and indeed the wider region.
Air Passenger Traffic Rising In And Out of Mumbai Airport
The statistics of air passenger traffic indicate that a total of 142,321 passengers were travelling either in or out of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport between the period of the 20th to the 22nd of August this year. A spokesperson for Mumbai Airport said, “This weekend saw the highest arriving passengers from Delhi with 12,118, followed by Bengaluru with 6,674 and Goa with 5,484 passengers. The top three destinations were Delhi with 12,389 passengers, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad with 5,199 and 3,770 respectively.”
A combination of major festivals with relaxed travel restrictions has resulted in huge optimism for the airport’s recovery to pre-pandemic levels. The spokesperson went on to say, “With major festivities approaching and government extending flying capacity to 65%, CSMIA is expected to witness a surge in travel to destinations across India during the festive period.”
An aviation consulting firm, CAPA India, has also indicated that India’s aviation industry could recover to 47.8% of pre-pandemic travel levels by as early as March 2022.
