AHMEDABAD: The Navratri season spurred no increase in the footfalls at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) Airport in Ahmedabad, though the flight frequency had been boosted a month earlier, in September.
Owing to apprehensions about flying during the pandemic, fliers’ footfalls continued to remain low at the airport in October. Approximately 3.58 lakh domestic as well as international passengers travelled from SVPI airport in October this year against about 9.4 lakh in the same month last year — a slide of 62%. Tour operators suggested that while tourism did pick up pace after Navratri, most people preferred destinations they could reach in private cars.
“People are scared of flying because of the pandemic. This is bound to impact passenger movement at airports,” said Manish Sharma, secretary, Travel Agents’ Federation of India (TAFI). With overseas travel hampered, merely 15,856 persons travelled on international flights in October. They were mostly foreign nationals and expats returning to their home countries. Very few people travelled for business despite the air bubble agreement with a few countries, confirmed sources.
Besides, most airlines are not giving refunds, a factor that deters travellers from flying. “The majority of the airlines are issuing credit notes to passengers instead of refunding the money upon cancellation,” said an Ahmedabad-based travel agent. “Therefore, people are wary of making a booking unless they are really sure of travelling.”