New Delhi: After two years of stagnation due to the covid-19 pandemic, the aviation sector is on its path to recovery as Delhi airport became the second busiest airport in the world according to a report by global travel data provider Official Airline Guide (OAG). Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport was ranked 23rd in 2019 and jumped to second in March this year.
“Whilst Atlanta retains its position as largest, Dubai is knocked out of 2nd place this month (March) by Delhi which moves up from 3rd place last month (February) and 23rd place in the same month (February) in 2019 before the pandemic,” the OAG report stated.
In March 2022, the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Intl Apt operated 4.42 million seats, Delhi airport handled 3.61 million seats which were followed by Dubai with 3.55 million seats.
The London Heathrow Apt retained the fourth rank with 3.51 million seats, followed by Dallas/Fort Worth Intl Apt ranking fifth with 3.46 million seats. Dallas airport moved up from the 16th rank in 2019.
The OAG rankings are updated every month and the current data was last updated on April 7, 2022. “The rankings are based on scheduled frequency in the current month (March), and compared to the equivalent month in 2019, pre-pandemic,” the data provider said in its report.
According to a report by news agency PTI, Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, CEO, of Delhi Airport International Limited (DIAL), said, "COVID-19 pandemic had hit the world hard. Travel restrictions had badly affected the travel and tourism sectors for two consecutive years."
But now, with the rise in the number of vaccinated people across the world, governments are easing travel restrictions and slowly opening up their borders. India has last month opened its borders and allowed the entry of fully vaccinated international travellers into the country," he added.
These steps have largely helped the travel and tourism industry and given a much-needed boost to air travel, he said.