Chennai, Aug 15 (IANS): With Tamil Nadu opening up the entry of travellers from other parts of the country who have taken two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, the Chennai airport has witnessed an increase in the number of flights.

A senior official told IANS that the airport is now catering to around 10,000 passengers on a daily basis.

He, however, said that this is a far cry from the numbers during the pre-Covid days.

Sudish Krishnan of Air Travel Agents Association, Chennai, told IANS: "Of course, the increase in flights and the number of passengers is a good sign but the airlines have increased the fare and this will keep those passengers who are travelling for holiday or leisure at bay. Only those who are in urgency will travel if the fares are high, as train services are always there as an alternative option for the people and hence airlines must understand this and price accordingly."

Airlines, however, claim that there were huge losses during the period of non-operation for the companies and have been incurring expenses for maintaining aircraft, changing of parts, fees for leasing, cost of staff, and other expenses even when the planes were not operated.

Hence airlines are keeping the fares high to get maximum revenue.

However, they also attributed the high fares to the high demand.