No dip in air-travel numbers after crash, industry relieved
Times of India | 16 June 2025
Kolkata: The aviation industry stakeholders in Kolkata are relieved that despite the tragic Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, which claimed more than 270 lives, there was no dip in air travel numbers. Flyers' footfall at Kolkata airport showed no decline in the days following the Ahmedabad plane crash, reflecting people's continued faith in air travel as the safest mode of transport despite the isolated mishap.This is in stark contrast to the scene in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack two months ago, when outgoing passenger numbers from Kolkata immediately dropped by 11% as people grew wary of leisure travel amid heightened security fears. But this was not the case after the plane crash incident. While a total of 61,033 passengers flew in and out of Kolkata on the day of the plane crash on Thursday, the footfall was 61,586 on Friday and 60,939 again on Saturday."It's utterly relieving that people continue to instil their faith in air transport, which has always been the safest mode of passage. We have seen during major incidents like these, there is a knee-jerk reaction where people end up avoiding a particular mode of transport. It happened in the past. But not this time. There has been no dip in air ticket booking this time," said Anjani Dhanuka, chairman (East) Travel Agents Association of India.Anil Punjabi of Travel Agents Federation of India added that they, too, had feared a slump in bookings immediately after the Gujarat disaster. "I was a bit apprehensive, given the stature of the accident. But thankfully, people are using their logic and not reacting with fear on this occasion. There were some anxious calls, but flyers are not going in for panic mass cancellations," said Punjabi.According to the airport footfall data available with TOI, more passengers travelled through the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) airport on Friday and Saturday than that on the two days before the flight accident. Although there was a slight dip in domestic passengers flying out of the airport in the two days after the crash, it was made up by an up-tick in the number of people flying in and out of the airport in the international sectors."The slight dip in domestic outbound passengers has nothing to do with the crash. Schools are reopening after summer vacation, and thus there will be fewer leisure travellers using the airport now," said another travel agent.A senior official at Kolkata airport said they also asked their staff and briefed airlines to be more careful and courteous with passengers who might be anxious about air travel while transiting through the airport, especially after the devastating crash. "We all have to be more cautious. It's a good sign that there has been no dip in passenger number, but that may not mean passengers are not jittery about air travel, especially after seeing such horrific visuals over the past few days. We have asked everyone to be more polite with every passenger to make them feel at ease," said a senior official.