Domestic flights of GoAir, 3 other airlines to operate from Mumbai Airport Terminal 1 from Oct 20

The domestic flight operations of four airlines are likely to shift to Terminal 1 of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) starting October 20. Adani Airports Holding Ltd., which took over the management of CSMIA from the GVK Group in July, has informed the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and other stakeholders regarding the decision.

However, a spokesperson for the Mumbai airport said that the operations will be shifted only after the pending approvals are cleared. Once the required approvals are received, GoAir, AirAsia, TruJet and Star Air will shift their operation to Terminal 1.

The domestic flight operations were herded to Terminal 1 in the wake of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic and subsequent restrictions, which led to a decline in footfall. But the Covid-19 vaccination drive and relative control over the pandemic has boosted air traffic with the rise in demand.

On Thursday, International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in a statement that India and Russia were the only large markets to show a month-to-month improvement compared to July 2021.

“India’s domestic traffic reversed the trend, as demand fell 44.8% in August, improved from a 58.9% decline in July versus July 2019, owing to positive trends in new cases and vaccination,” the IATA said.

Adani Airports Holding Ltd. has also mentioned the substantial increase in domestic passenger numbers in August as compared to May, HT has learnt. It said that the number of passengers at the Mumbai airport has increased due to confidence-building measures and the vaccination drives undertaken by the government.