As India gradually shakes off the impact of the developments with the pandemic this year, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has registered an increase of approximately 60% in passenger traffic in June 2021 as compared to May 2021. Working tirelessly through the pandemic, the airport has been constantly striving to provide uninterrupted connectivity to travellers while creating a haven for its passengers and personnel. The increase in passenger traffic signals a tip of the hat to CSMIA’s efforts in this regard as well as the passenger confidence in the safety initiatives and protocols adopted by the airport.
CSMIA has played host to a total of approximately 72,61,158 passengers over 77,797 flights across domestic and international destinations in the period between January to June 2021. During this time, the airport has catered to approximately 64,87,066 domestic passengers across 63,992 flights and over 7,74,092 international passengers across 13,805 ATMs. The airport registered Dubai emerging as the most popular international destination, having witnessed the highest traffic of over 2,13,770 passengers to and from CSMIA. This was followed by Newark with over 88,010 and Heathrow with 75,470 passengers respectively. Similarly, amongst the domestic destinations, Delhi saw the highest movements with over 9,46,890 passengers, followed by Goa with 5,42,350 and Bengaluru with 4,32,180 passengers, respectively.
The world over has witnessed the outbreak of the pandemic, introduction of new variants and onset of secondary waves of the virus across borders since the year 2020. Through this time, the global aviation industry has been stoically continuing its efforts to ramp up the outlook for the industry from the impact of the pandemic. CSMIA currently acts as a gateway to 54 domestic destinations and 21 international destinations for passengers from Mumbai. In the wake of the second wave of the pandemic in the country, the airport witnessed a growth of approximately 60% in passenger traffic during the month of June 2021 as compared to May 2021. CSMIA also saw addition of new routes destinations on domestic destinations like Dharbhanga, Adampur and Kalaburagi amongst others as well as international destinations like Batam, Armenia, Miami and Houston to name a few.
While the passenger traffic is increasing steadily, majority of Indian states as well as international countries require a negative RT-PCR certificate. To make the passenger travel hassle free, CSMIA has established over 30 counters of testing facilities at Terminal 2 set up for international and domestic passengers. Since its launch in September 2020, CSMIA has added new facilities and explored various avenues to accommodate and reduce dwell time for passengers awaiting the reports. For passengers wanting a quicker result, CSMIA also has a facility for an express test that provides prompt & accurate diagnosis in 13 minutes. Moreover, CSMIA has taken a step further towards passenger safety by allowing Mylab Discovery Solutions a space to set up the RT-PCR testing counter, and to facilitate the processing of the sample for a quick turnaround. The additional facility has been introduced for the convenience and offering a speedy report to the arriving passengers. The RT-PCR test facility at CSMIA for both arriving and departing passengers is a boon for traveler concerns regarding the various quarantine regulations across borders.
