Flying is the new normal!

Nine weeks through lockdown, passenger share at Delhi Airport sees a positive spike.

We recorded a steep increase in passenger share after flight operations were resumed by the Government of India, re-establishing it as the most preferred and safest airport in India even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The aviation sector, which had been hitherto shut, saw a revival after the announcement of domestic flight resumption from May 25, 2020, after two months of nationwide lockdown. This certainly brought a sigh of relief amongst thousands of passengers waiting to reach their homes.

In July, Delhi Airport served 23% of the total passengers handled by all Indian airports, a rise from 18% during pre-COVID-19 phase. This is the highest passenger share handled by any Indian airport after the resumption of domestic air services, thereby indicating the propensity of passengers to travel.

The international segment at Delhi Airport, recorded a steep rise in daily average international traffic after commercial flights were resumed– from 3% to 14%. 

Before the lockdown, Indira Gandhi International Airport held a 27% share of India’s International passengers. Between April and May (in which mostly international relief flights were operated through India), New Delhi Airport attained 36% of international passenger traffic of India, highest among all Indian airports.

However, these records are way behind the actual capacity of Indira Gandhi International Airport, which is more than two lakh footfalls a month before the lockdown.

An ardent follower of the government’s directives, New Delhi Airport has acted as one of the model airports for post lockdown preparedness ever since the coronavirus outbreak gripped the entire nation.

To gain the confidence of passengers and its stakeholders, Delhi Airport services have implemented various safety protocols and preventive measures at the airport to help control the spread of coronavirus. Delhi Airport rules have helped the airport’s Air Traffic Movements (ATMs) inch steadily towards pre-lockdown levels, by serving more than 500 ATMs in a day, in July.

Post resumption of domestic flight operations (between May 25 and July 22), Delhi Airport has catered to 20% of total ATMs handled by all Indian airports together. This is 4% higher than pre-lockdown times.

The terminal and other passenger touchpoints are being regularly cleaned, fumigated and sanitized to ensure passengers’ safety in the times of COVID-19 pandemic. We have deployed UV tunnels to disinfect trays and baggage carts, ensuring a safe and healthy environment for passengers flying out of Delhi Airport.

Delhi Airport facilities have enabled contactless operations where passengers are being regularly encouraged to use web check-in and Scan & Fly facilities to minimise physical contact at the airport. Also, passengers have the option to download the HOI app, a dedicated AI-enabled app for contactless commerce and seamless navigation at the airports.

For realtime information visit our Covid 19 page