Government allows domestic airlines to operate with 60% capacity

Easing the restrictions further, the union government has allowed airlines to operate with 60 per cent capacity in the domestic passenger flights. The domestic flight operations were allowed to resume after a two-month shut down from May 25, 2020, and the airlines were asked to operate with one-third capacity.

On June 26, the Ministry of Civil Aviation had allowed the airlines to operate a maximum of 45 per cent of their pre-COVID domestic flights, which was gradually extended to 60 per cent.

Modifying its previous order of June 26, 2020, where the ministry had put the 45 per cent limit on the number of flights, the ministry in its order on Wednesday said, 45 per cent capacity may be read as 60 per cent capacity.

The average occupancy rate in domestic flights since their resumption in India on May 25, 2020, has been around 50-60 per cent only.

Scheduled international passenger flights continue to remain suspended in the country since March 23, 2020, due to the pandemic.

However, special international flights have been operating under Vande Bharat Mission since May and under bilateral air bubble pacts signed with various countries since July.

India's COVID-19 tally of cases galloped past 37 lakh on Wednesday with 78,357 new instances of the disease reported in a day, said the Union Health Ministry. The death toll climbed to 66,333 with 1,045 more fatalities reported in 24 hours.