From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Aug 27: Contactless processing and robust sanitization measures implemented at Kempegowda International Airport have boosted passenger confidence in air travel, according to ‘Voice of Pax’, a survey commissioned by Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL).

The survey was conducted over five phases from April to July to understand passenger sentiments around air travel.

The survey has revealed that the initial negative perception about travel due to the fear of COVID-19 infection at airports and hygiene factors have undergone a positive transformation since the resumption of air travel on May 25 (domestic, scheduled air travel resumed following a two-month COVID-induced nation-wide lockdown).

Owing to continuous enhancements in safety and hygiene measures at BIAL, the intent to fly among respondents improved from a mere 13% in phase 1 to 33% in phase 5, a significant jump indicating a higher positive disposition towards air travel.

Though 21% were concerned about airport safety and hygiene checks in phase 1, it declined considerably to 6% in phase 5. In another favourable sign, the higher safety perceptions associated with air travel and airports steadily improved through the phases.

In the first phase, 71% of respondents considered air travel as the safest mode of transport, while in the final phase 89% of the respondents considered air travel to be the safest. There is a 15% increase in the sentiment that airports are safer than rail and bus stations.

While fear of COVID-19 infection was the principal reason for people to avoid flights, family not comfortable was the next most cited reason, across demographics.

However, the survey highlighted that with the passage of time people began to get more comfortable with airport safety measures.

Acceptance of contactless processing improved from 62% to 100%, while comfort with using the Arogya Setu e-pass improved from 49% to 86%.

Among the frequent flyers, comfort levels with most safety measures were the highest compared to the other segments.

In an effort to rebuild confidence among passengers towards air travel, BIAL has continued to innovate to create a safe, healthy and clean experience.

In addition to contactless processing, BIAL recently launched virtual information desks enabling travellers to have real-time conversations with airport staff over touch-free video.

Meanwhile, BIAL has enhanced ventilation to increase fresh air intake at the terminal by increasing the temperature of the air-conditioners from 23 to 25 deg C to minimize the transmission of the virus.

“It is encouraging to see that a large number of our passengers trust the safety and well-being measures implemented at BIAL. Many of them have appreciated our efforts," said a BIAL spokesman adding, "Based on feedback from the respondents, BIAL continues to refine Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to boost the confidence of passengers who are uneasy about air travel.”

“There are high expectations from passengers in terms of safety and hygiene to make airports safe places to travel through. BIAL will continue to introduce new measures and services to further strengthen passenger confidence. Our vision is to enable journeys, create experiences and touch lives as the gateway to a new India. We will continue to innovate to provide a safe and contactless airport experience for our passengers,” the spokesperson said.

This research was conducted on behalf of BIAL by LeadCap Ventures, global research and consulting firm, between April and July in which 6,098 respondents participated using a systematic random sampling methodology, chosen from a database of over 150,000 passengers from across age, profession, group size, frequency of flying and sector of flying.