NEW DELHI: The desire for international travel among Indians is triggering aviation boom, says the Airports Authority of India. And smaller airports, compared to those in capital cities, have picked up patronage.
The AAI ‘Air Traffic Data’ for the first three quarters of this financial year shows nearly two crore flyers went abroad this year, marking a 7% rise in international travel.
The overall passenger growth stands at 5.6% with 105.15 million flyers taking to the skies in April-June 2025 over the 99.54 million of April-June 2024. The domestic growth figure is 5.3% with 85.32 million travelling this quarter as compared to 81 million in the corresponding period last year.
As expected, following the Pahalgam attack and air spaceclosure, Srinagar airport has taken a massive hit. Bhopal’s Raja Bhoj airport, whose international destinations cover West Asia and South East Asia, has recorded an 80% growth figure over the past year, the maximum among all airports in the country. It is followed by Pune airport, which has recorded a 76.7% growth, and Bagdogra with 72.4% growth. Coimbatore, Surat, Mangaluru, and Guwahati have all recorded growth figures of over 33%.
The hubs of international travel, IGIA and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport are inching along with a 3% (52,40,482 passengers) and 4.5% (38,96,278) increase, respectively, in international patronage.
Post the opening of the second terminal, the growth of Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport appears unstoppable with 17,33,432 international travellers. It has recorded the maximum surge among the big airports.