7 of 20 busiest international air travel routes from India in May were to Dubai
New Delhi(PTI): Seven of the 20 busiest international air travel routes from India in May were to Dubai, according to data provided by aviation analytics company Cirium.
In May 2019 -- before the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically impacted the global aviation sector -- only two of the top 20 international air travel routes from India were to Dubai, according to the data, which has been accessed by PTI.
"International air travel is guided by bilateral rights. In case of Dubai, (the number of) Emirates flights are back (to the pre-pandemic level) but that is not the case with every other region. This made Dubai climb up the list faster than others," said Ameya Joshi, aviation analyst and founder of aviation blog "Network Thoughts".
Emirates was one of the first airlines to deploy full capacity on routes to India, taking a lot of traffic to the European Union, Russia and North America, he noted.
COVID-19 had significantly curtailed international travel since the beginning of 2020 to the beginning of this year. Its impact is now receding and airlines across the world have largely resumed their international flights.
In May 2019, the busiest international air travel route from India was Kolkata-Dhaka with 301 flights, the data mentioned. However, the busiest international route in India in May 2022 was Mumbai-Dubai with 406 flights.
Not just that, the second busiest international route in May 2022 was Delhi-Dubai with 332 flights.
There were 167, 152, 136, 133 and 131 flights on the Cochin-Dubai, Hyderabad-Dubai, Chennai-Dubai, Bengaluru-Dubai and Calicut-Dubai routes in May 2022 respectively, the data showed. These seven routes to the city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were among the top 20 international air travel routes connecting India in May 2022, it mentioned.
In comparison, there were just two Dubai routes -- Mumbai-Dubai (252 flights) and Delhi-Dubai (218 flights) -- among the top 20 routes in May 2019, it noted.
Meanwhile, according to Cirium's data, while there were four India-Kuala Lumpur routes among the top 20 routes in May 2019, there was none in May 2022.
"The India-Kuala Lumpur route was largely dominated by AirAsia Bhd, Malindo and Malaysia Airlines. These three have not returned with full force yet and hence, the impact," Joshi explained.
The reason these airlines have not returned with full force is because they carry traffic to Kuala Lumpur and beyond in the region alone and not far and wide as Emirates from Dubai, he said, adding that the region is yet to be fully open for tourism.
The third busiest international air travel route from India in May this year was Chennai-Colombo with 183 flights, the data showed. The fourth busiest route was Cochin-Dubai with 167 flights.
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Indian-origin woman stabbed to death at bus stop in London
London, May 14: A 22-year-old man charged with the murder of a 66-year-old Indian-origin woman as she waited at a bus stop in north-west London has been remanded in custody at a hearing on Tuesday.
Anita Mukhey, who worked part-time for the National Health Service (NHS) as a medical secretary, was waiting at the Burnt Oak Broadway bus stop in the Edgware area of London last week when Jalal Debella is accused of fatally stabbing her in the chest and neck.
He appeared at the Old Bailey Court in London and will enter his plea of guilty or not guilty at the next hearing in the case scheduled for August.
“Police were called at around 11:50hrs on Thursday, 9 May, to reports of a stabbing in Burnt Oak Broadway,” the Metropolitan Police said.
“Officers, London Ambulance Service (LAS) and London’s Air Ambulance (HEMS) all attended the scene, where a 66-year-old woman was treated for knife wounds. Sadly, despite the best efforts of emergency services, she died at the scene. Her family have been informed,” the police said.
Debella was arrested on suspicion of murder in the Colindale area of north London later on May 9 and charged with Mukhey’s murder and also for possession of an offensive weapon. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) told the court that a preliminary cause of death was found to be sharp force injuries to the front of the chest and neck.
“Anita Mukhey, 66 years old, was a married mother and grandmother devoted to her family, who also worked part-time in the NHS as a Medical Secretary. The family ask for privacy at this difficult time,” Mukhey’s family said in a statement issued via the police.
According to reports, members of the public screamed and shouted at the suspect to stop as the daylight attack sent shockwaves across the community.
