India: Govt. allows airlines to operate domestic flights at their 100 percent capacity

Domestic airlines will now be able to operate at 100 per cent of their pre-COVID capacity from October 18. The Indian Government after reviewing the current situation of COVID-19 pandemic and seeing the growth of domestic air travel in the country, announced scheduled domestic air operations to be restored in the country without any capacity restrictions from the said date.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation had capped domestic airline capacity since May 2020, whereas currently, the domestic flights were operating at a capacity of 85 per cent. As per the official statement, "After review of the current status of Scheduled Domestic Operations viz-a-viz passenger demand for air travel in terms of the purpose specified in the initial order dated May 21, 2020...it has been decided to restore the scheduled domestic air operations with effect from 18-10-2021 without any capacity restriction."
The statement further added, "The airlines airport operators shall however ensure that the guidelines to contain the spread of COVID are strictly adhered to and COVID appropriate behaviour is strictly enforced by them during the travel."

The move will likely provide the much-needed relief to airlines who have been demanding removal of these restrictions on capacity, as well as capping on air fares. Reports have it that domestic air travel in India has made rapid strides with dipping virus infections, increased consumer confidence, and curiosity to explore domestic destinations in the absence of many options for outbound travel. As such, the ongoing festive season will further boost the demand for air travel, when people are eagerly booking tickets for travel.