There is now a rise in number of people booking tickets well in advance, as opposed to last minute emergency travel, according to travel portalsAfter a drastic fall in demand for air travel from March onwards due to the second wave of COVID-19, there is now a steady rise in the number of daily passengers. “The domestic air traffic is picking up with a 45% rise in June compared to May due to opening up of cities as the second wave of COVID-19 subsided,” says Ameya Joshi, Founder of aviation analysis website Network Thoughts. In February 2021, before the second wave of COVID-19 hit, passenger figures hovered between 2.5 lakh and 3 lakh per day nearing pre-COVID levels. According to travel portals MakeMyTrip, Cleartrip and ixigo, there is now a rise in number of people booking tickets well in advance, as opposed to last minute emergency travel. “Seasonality in travel demand doesn’t hold right now as there is a lot of pent up demand,” Mr. Bajpai explains.

Source: The Hindu July 04, 2021 11:37 UTC