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Passengers queue up to get themselves tested through the thermal scanner at Kempegowda International airport, after the resumption of domestic flight services, in Bengaluru on Monday (Photo: ANI)

Mint Business News - Official Channel

532 flights operated on Day 1, over 39,000 people travelled: Puri

'Action has returned to Indian skies,' tweeted Civil Aviation Minister after domestic flight service was resumed on Monday

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Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday tweeted that 532 domestic flights operated on Monday and 39,231 passengers travelled and that "action has returned to Indian skies" even as social media was abuzz with tales of chaos and glitches at the airports.

The airlines resumed operations after a two-month nationwide lockdown was imposed to contain the spread of the virus.

"With Andhra Pradesh set to resume operations from tomorrow an West Bengal from 28 May, these numbers are all set to increase further," Puri further tweeted

Meanwhile, news agency PTI quoted aviation industry sources as saying that around 630 flights got cancelled in India on Monday due to various restrictions being imposed by the states and Centre's Sunday night announcement that there would be no flights in West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, and limited operations at major airports such as Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad.

Earlier on Monday, Puri shared a live image by a real time flight tracking service provider.

In a tweet, Puri said: "Indians soar in the skies again! A beautiful live capture from #flightradar24 shows how our skies look busy again as domestic civil aviation recommences in India from today."

The airlines, which were allowed to operate one-third of their pre-lockdown domestic services, have been busy since Sunday night to further rework their flight schedules.

The first flight on Monday took off from Delhi for Pune at 4.45 am under strict regulations recommended by civil aviation authorities. The first flight from Mumbai was to Patna at 6.45 am.

States like Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, which are home to some of the busiest airports in the country, were reluctant to allow domestic flight services from their airports, citing swelling Covid-19 cases there.

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