Mumbai: Ahead of the festive season, more than a million people ‘took flight’ this August,as compared to just four lakh in the same period last year, with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) recording a footfall of over 1.5 million passengers.
As the nationwide vaccination drive progresses, there has been an increase in the number of vaccinated passengers and the corollary has been an increase in air travel. Airport authorities said in a statement that the CSMIA played host to a total of 15,87,150 passengers taking flights to domestic and international destinations in August, of which 14,02,369 were domestic passengers and 1,84,787 flew to international locations.
“About 7,85,479 passengers arrived at CSMIA in the month of August, while 8,01,677 passengers departed from CSMIA to various domestic and international destinations. CSMIA registered Delhi, Bangalore and Goa emerging as the most travelled domestic destinations from CSMIA with 2,42,085, 1,11,026 and 95,089 passengers respectively,” according to the release.
Meanwhile, Doha emerged as the top international destination, with approximately 41,410 passengers to and from the CSMIA, followed by Dubai and Male with 37,126 and 18,190 passengers respectively. Indigo, Air India and Vistara carried the highest number of passengers on domestic routes while Qatar Airways, Indigo and Air India catered to the majority of passengers internationally.
The CSMIA witnessed an upward trend of passengers travelling over the weekend as festivals like Raksha Bandhan, Janmashtami and Onam fell on weekends in August. CSMIA registered Goa emerging as the highest travelled destination with 22,078 passengers, followed by Srinagar, Jammu and Leh during the weekend of August 2021. This upward trend in the number of passengers travelling for leisure locally and internationally is expected to soar in the coming months.
With the easing of restrictions, there has been an increase in passenger traffic, and to ensure hassle-free travel, the CSMIA has established multiple counters offering Covid testing facilities at Terminal 2 for international and domestic passengers. For passengers wanting quicker results, the CSMIA also has an express test facility that provides prompt and accurate diagnosis in 13 minutes.
