Indian airlines are pushing for an early resumption of domestic flights from key metros, and have warned that a prolonged lockdown could cripple their operations forever.
Even though the government has indicated that it was in favour of restarting flights between covid-19-designated green zones, most such areas comprise smaller towns and cities, which have low passenger traffic.
Most districts in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Bengaluru are in the red zone, with a large number of active covid-19 cases. “If airlines are only allowed to operate between smaller towns, and not major tier I cities, huge losses could be expected," said a senior executive with a no-frills carrier, requesting anonymity. “Indian airlines today operate a