How the second Covid-19 wave could mar the summer of recovery for airlines

Occupancy in airlines is down to 60 per cent as number of cases rises and states impose travel curbs

Last Sunday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was meeting top bureaucrats over rising Covid cases, chief executive of a private airline asked his head of operations to prepare for a sudden grounding of operations.

Just a month ago, the CEO had met investors and the talk revolved around a total recovery and bright future of Indian aviation. He’s back to plugging daily cash burn.

Within two weeks of many airlines deciding to roll back salary cuts  encouraged by a steady increase in traffic flow, a second wave of coronavirus along with rules of compulsory RT-PCR test has hit forward bookings. The fears