Post COVID Revival Strategies for Indian Aviation Sector: An Empirical Study

Impact of COVID 19 has been devastating on each and every sector of the global economy in general and Indian economy in particular Even the most flourished economies across the globe has put in place restrictions like lockdowns, confinements etc in order to contain virus spread and control the fatalities One of the hardest hit sector of Indian economy is the aviation sector as there was no choice other than indefinite suspension of air passenger's traffic at the domestic and international level Travel ban however, is temporary and has reduced the mobility in short run but it will have a permanent affect in the end as many may lose their jobs forever Socio economic impact will be long lasting in terms of reduced flights, limited travel destinations, and underutilization of the carriers in order to maintain social distancing, changes in behaviour pattern of the travellers As per an estimate revealed by Economic Times, aviation sector alone has suffered losses of Rs 25, 000 crore due to this global pandemic The revival of the sector will depend on how fast the industry gains confidence of the passengers for air travel and the state interventions at large This study intends to highlight the impact of COVID 19 on the Indian aviation sector with reference to air passenger's traffic and changing consumer perception regarding future air travel This is primarily an empirical research in which data have been collected through a online survey from 104 respondents and for descriptive part secondary data have also been used to analyse the impact of COVID 19 on the aviation sector It has been found in the survey that 44% of the respondents would postpone their air travel for about six months or so Last section of the paper consists of measures taken by the government and policy recommendations as some of the revival measures based on consumer sentiments and industry experts Consumers expect that airlines should continue with the affordable pricing in order to regenerate the demand and should ensure the maintenance of social distancing norms Consumers also have expectations from the government to come to the rescue of this vital industry to save this industry itself as well tourism We hope these primary results will help policymakers to design exit strategies for the revival of the sector to combat this global crisis