THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Thiruvananthapuram airport has posted a growth of 26% in passenger volume to 3.73 lakh in August 2023 as against 2.95 lakh in the month last year. This is the highest passenger traffic figure since the Covid crisis. Average number of daily passengers has increased to 12,000. The number of daily ATMs (air transport movement) averaged around 80. A total of 2,416 air traffic movements took place in August.
The Thiruvananthapuram International Airport Limited (TIAL) hosted 1.97 lakh domestic travellers and 1.75 lakh foreign travellers last month. The number of weekly services to foreign countries has increased to 126 and domestic to 154. With the increase in services to Mumbai and Delhi, fares have come down and connectivity to foreign countries has become easier. Various projects are in progress at the airport to improve infrastructure.
BR code scanners have been installed at the entry gates of the terminals for passengers to complete security procedures without hassles. Thiruvananthapuram is the first airport in Kerala to have an e-gate system.
Meanwhile, the state government has not taken any decision so far on the expansion of the terminal and the runway. The director general of civil Aviation has already given an ultimatum to TIAL until September 2024 to take a call on the runway expansion. For this, the airport needs 12 acre of land, which includes a part of the road from Chackai to Shankhumukham. The file on the same is in the chief minister’s office, and the decision has been pending for the past several months.