Covid-19 threat: Domestic, international check-ins drop

CHENNAI: Airlines have begun feeling the pinch of Covid-19 threat with international and domestic check-ins falling significantly, making the Chennai airport terminal look empty during the morning peak hours.
An airport official said flights are going almost 50% empty on international routes as people are not traveling to international destinations in southeast Asia and the Middle East.
Passengers are reporting wearing masks while airline staff too have been told to take precautions while checking-in passengers.
In the past three days, domestic flights too are not getting good patronage. Flights from Chennai to Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata — the three busiest routes from the city — have witnessed a dip in passenger load.
“Check-ins have began reducing in the past few days after news spread on more people suspected of contracting the Covid-19 infection. Peak hours are seeing less passengers on domestic routes as well. People are not traveling unless it’s essential,” said an airline staff.
Jeshma C who flew to Thiruvananthapuram said, “The flight was not full. There were around 20 seats empty on the plane which had around 120 seats. There was thermal checking on arrival in Kerala.” Similarly, flights to the Middle East witnessed poor patronage. A pilot who flies to Middle East destinations from Chennai said, “Loads have come down considerably. People don’t want to fly. But flights on Singapore route from Trichy have good load factor. People who need to fly are traveling.” It may take time for the impact to be felt on domestic routes, he added.
However, airlines are not getting the number of passengers they usually get in March. “The Covid-19 threat is likely to turn worse in the coming days as people are hesitant to be in a closed environment on a flight. Aircraft are being fumigated as a precaution,” said an airport official.
Meanwhile, fares have dipped since bookings have come down. Air fares are in the range of Rs 2,100 to Rs 2,600 for travel in the next few days to Mumbai. Usually, fares touch Rs 5,000 for a week’s advance booking. On the Delhi route, the fare band is from Rs 4,000 to Rs 4,800 and to Kolkata it’s Rs 2,000 to Rs 6,800. On the Kolkata route, where fare is always more than Rs 5,000, tickets are selling at Rs 2,700 for mid next week.
Airlines are forced to fly as they cannot cancel scheduled flights. A few airlines have cancelled some flights at the end of March to cut losses.