Domestic flight sees 10-12% drop in bookings as states make COVID-19 test mandatory

Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Manipur have made RT PCR tests mandatory for travellers arriving from states with high coronavirus cases.

Airlines have reported a 10-12 percent drop in domestic flight bookings in the last week owing to the additional curbs placed by several states due to surging COVID-19 cases.

The Odisha government has made seven-day home isolation mandatory for people coming from 12 high-risk states by planes and trains, as the state's caseload climbed to 3,37,018.

Meanwhile, in related news, aviation regulator DGCA extended the suspension of international commercial passenger flight services till March 31. Scheduled international flight operations were suspended from March 23 last year in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

However, international scheduled flights may be allowed on select routes by the competent authority on a case-to-case basis, it said.