Hyderabad: As the number of Covid-19 cases steadily comes down across the country, the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here is bustling with activity, with October 9 recording the highest (domestic and international) passenger footfall of nearly 48,000 and 350 Air Traffic Movements, which is 77 per cent of pre-Covid numbers.

Notwithstanding the restrictions triggered by the pandemic, the RGIA is now also connecting Hyderabad to a staggering 65 destinations within India, not to forget recently added direct flights to international destinations including London and Chicago.

According to official inputs from the GMR Hyderabad International Airport (GHIAL), which manages the RGIA, the dip in Covid cases saw the demand for air travel gradually picking up across sectors.

RGIA, they said, recorded a substantial rise in passenger traffic in September, to 9.35 lakh domestic passengers as against 6.8 lakh in July. The airport also saw a gradual increase in international travelers to 1.2 lakh in September, which was 41 per cent of the pre- Covid levels. Overall, the total passenger traffic footfall (Domestic and International) reached 59 percent of pre-Covid levels in September and on October 9, it recorded a domestic and international passenger footfall of nearly 48,000 along with 350 Air Traffic Movements, which is 77 percent of the pre-Covid numbers.

The most popular domestic destinations in terms of passenger volume were Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru while international travelers preferred Dubai, Doha and Sharjah.
As passengers kept coming in, the airport expanded its portfolio as well, connecting 65 domestic destinations as compared to 55 destinations in the pre-Covid period. In the last quarter, new domestic sectors like Rajkot, Srinagar and Jamnagar were added.

Officials said domestic destinations like Jamnagar, Jammu and Chandigarh recorded huge growth in passenger volume from Hyderabad, with Jamnagar recording a passenger growth rate of 346 percent in September compared to August, while Jammu recorded a jump of 286 percent and Chandigarh close to 244 percent.

• RGIA now connects Hyderabad to 65 domestic destinations
• Hyderabad was connected to 55 destinations in pre-Covid days
• Passenger traffic too shooting up to pre-Covid numbers
• Daily domestic passengers rose to 31,137 in September against 22,500 per day in July
• October 9 saw passenger footfall of 48,000 with 350 Air Traffic Movements