The top 10 airports in India witnessed a significant increase in traffic during the last fiscal year, according to the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
Despite challenges such as the closure of Go FIRST operations and aircraft groundings by IndiGo, both international and domestic footfalls surged across the country. On the international front, the top 10 airports experienced a robust growth of 21% in footfalls compared to the previous financial year. Delhi Airport, the largest in the country, led the pack with a 24.4% increase in international traffic, followed closely by Ahmedabad with a remarkable growth rate of 28.5%. Meanwhile, Bengaluru and Kochi are in a close battle for the fourth position in international traffic. For domestic footfalls, the top 10 airports saw an average growth of 11%. Pune Airport registered the highest growth rate at 18.9%, while Goa’s Dabolim Airport experienced a notable decrease of 18% due to traffic diversion to Mopa Airport. Bengaluru’s growth was tempered by increased capacity availability at Mumbai Airport, resulting in a shortfall of around 15,000 passengers per day compared to Mumbai.
Overall, international footfalls increased by 22.3%, domestic footfalls by 13.5%, and combined footfalls by 15% compared to the previous fiscal year. However, some airports recorded a decline in traffic, including Kushinagar, Kannur, and Shirdi, attributed to various operational factors such as airline service abandonment and the opening of new airports. While the aviation sector in India witnessed a notable surge in airport traffic overall, there were specific challenges and fluctuations experienced by individual airports, highlighting the dynamic nature of the industry.
