COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore International Airport officially crossed three lakh passengers per month for the first time last month.
A total of 3,08,681 passengers, which includes 25,537 for international trips and 2,83,144 domestic passengers, travelled through the airport in April 2025. During the corresponding period in April 2024, the airport handled 2,47,241 passengers, including 17,452 passengers for international and 2,29,789 passengers by domestic flights, states a report released by the Airport Authority of India (AAI).
Pointing to the increase of passengers' count to the airport, industrialists urged the AAI to develop an interim terminal building for handling passengers for international flights until the expansion works are completed.
Speaking to TNIE, J Sathish, Director of Kongu Global Forum, which is a non-governmental organisation working for development of Coimbatore, said, "Coimbatore Airport, which serves 8 districts including Palakkad in Kerala, is estimated to handle 36 lakh passengers this financial year. The airport also becomes the seventh airport in southern India to cross this figure. The AAI should immediately renovate the existing terminal at Coimbatore and construct an interim arrivals terminal building to accommodate the growth."
"On an average of over 10,000 passengers used the Coimbatore Airport daily in April. This will increase to 15,000 passengers when these facilities are developed. We understand that the new international terminal building proposed by the AAI as part of the expansion of the airport will be ready for operation only in 2031. Coimbatore associations have been repeatedly requesting the authorities to develop facilities at the airport to help attract more investment in this region," he said.
He urged the AAI to facilitate a separate bay for domestic and international in the airport without any further delay.
G Sampath Kumar, Director of Coimbatore Airport, was not available for comment.