Hardeep Singh Puri – Union Minister:

In all our endeavours in our efforts against COVID, one sector which has outshone all others is air cargo.

Interacted with captains from the Cargo Industry at the Air Cargo Virtual Meet organised by ACFI on the theme of “Changing Consumption Patterns– Transforming Supply Chains”

In April 2020, air cargo handled at Indian airports was just 17% of April 2019 levels.
By June 2020 it reached 60% mark.
In September 2020, it was 82%.
By Jan 2021, it was 94% of the cargo handled during same period last year. 
We expect full recovery by March 2021.

Green shoots are visible across the air cargo sector. Srinagar witnessed 300%+ growth in air cargo as compared to pre-covid levels.

Surat saw a growth of more than 200%. Guru Nagri Amritsar is close to 80% & Varanasi saw a growth of 96% in air cargo movement.

These figures confirm our understanding that Civil Aviation is one of the critical drivers of economic growth as well as an important indicator of economic recovery.

Aviation industry will soon bounce back to its full potential.