As the summer vacation approaches, Chennai Airport is gearing up for 206 special flights under its “Summer Special” initiative to contain the rush. The special flights includes 42 international and 164 domestic flights which will probably start operations next month. The move is to accommodate the surge in passenger traffic during the holiday season.
Most schools and colleges are about to close for summer vacations as temperatures soar. People are flying to vacation spots and their hometowns to escape the heat. This could lead to increased congestion at airports and railway stations. The airport, which typically handles around 50,000 passengers daily, expects this number to surpass 55,000 and could even reach 60,000 in the coming weeks.
In response to this, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has taken proactive steps by increasing the number of domestic and international flights from Chennai.
Increased Number Of Flights
According to various reports, Air India has increased weekly flights to Kuwait from 5 to 7, Muscat from 1 to 2, and Dammam from 2 to 3. IndiGo is expected to operate 7 weekly flights to Kuwait. Oman Air expanded its services to Muscat- the company has increased flights from11 to 14 per week. While Gulf Airways is enhancing its Chennai–Bahrain frequency from 7 to 10 weekly flights. Meanwhile US-Bangla Airlines will raise its weekly flights to Dhaka from 3 to 11 on weekly basis.
164 Domestic Flights
On the domestic front, Air India is enhancing its connectivity with Bengaluru, Delhi, Madurai, and Mumbai. The airline will increase its weekly flights from Chennai to Bengaluru from 12 to 23, to Delhi from 70 to 77, to Madurai from 7 to 14, and to Mumbai from 42 to 49.
IndiGo is expanding its flight services to Thoothukudi, Tiruchy, Kochi, and Ahmedabad, while SpiceJet is adding more flights to Ayodhya, Kochi, Hyderabad, Madurai, and other locations. As part of a special initiative, Chennai Airport is rolling out 164 additional domestic flights. Airlines have already started operating some of these flights, while they will introduce others gradually based on passenger demand.
