Tomorrow marks the beginning of the Northern Summer schedule. While statistics tell a story about how the schedule is stacked against the previous ones, there always remains a difference between the approved flights and the ones which are actually operated. All indications though are that it will be a terrific and bumper summer in terms of passenger numbers.
A look at the numbers for January and February paint a rosy picture with passenger numbers ahead of the same months last year. The last year itself was the best ever year in the history of Indian aviation. The numbers for March, so far, have been good as well. The situation was similar last year and one wondered what could go wrong? Well when nothing was the answer, Go FIRST shut down in May. Despite this, the industry came out with flying colours. For this summer, it again seems like nothing could go wrong but it’s a case of once bitten, twice shy.
In 2023, only November saw passenger numbers lower than pre-COVID, while every other month recorded higher numbers. The reason? Airlines had raised the fares significantly in anticipation of good loads. The result? Poor loads leading to a drop in passenger numbers leading up to Diwali after which there was a fare reset. This led to a sudden spurt in traffic, indicating how the passenger remains cost conscious!
With rising temperatures, the passenger numbers will be high to the hills, but also to foreign shores and that is one area where Indian airlines would be hoping to cash in on. Here’s wishing all airlines, passengers and the entire aviation ecosystem a very happy summer schedule! Let’s hope the oil prices are cool, even when the temperate rises and passenger numbers climb faster than the temperature and all of this rings in some cash for airlines, airports and their employees.
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