Airlines overcome pre-Diwali blues with jump in traffic, shows data

Domestic passenger traffic surged 7.37 per cent in the post-Diwali period (November 13-18) vis à vis pre-Diwali period (November 7-12), according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation data. The domestic passenger traffic reached an all-time high of 456,748 on Saturday. Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia hailed it as a "testament to our resilience and strength to overcome global challenges”. The previous peak was on April 30, with 456,082 domestic air passengers traveling in India. In the days leading up to Diwali, Indian carriers had to reduce airfares by up to 9 per cent on major domestic routes due to low passenger demand.