Adani airports handled record 14.25 mn passengers over last year: MIAL

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 10 : All seven Adani airports saw an increase of 92 per cent in domestic and 133 per cent in international travellers as compared with the figures from last year. There has also been a rise in the number of domestic flights (58 per cent) and international flights (61 per cent), according to a statement from Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL).
Air traffic jumped by around 100 per cent compared to the previous year, taking the number to pre-pandemic levels with more than 14.25 million passengers using these airports over last year.
According to MIAL, this upward trend is expected to continue and is anticipated that the number of trips people will take in a year will increase. One of the factors driving this growth is the restart of tourism after the pandemic.
Being the second busiest airport in the country, Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) recorded nearly 8.44 million passenger movement in January-February 2023. CSMIA witnessed nearly 2.22 million international and 6.22 million domestic passengers.
MIAL said the first two months also saw a huge rush at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) airport, Ahmedabad. It had 1.74 million domestic passengers flying in and out of the airport. Its international airport recorded 283,379 travellers.
MIAL said Jaipur is the 11th busiest airport in the country. Jaipur International Airport (JIAL) recorded nearly 0.95 million passenger movements. Exhibiting significant growth, JIAL witnessed nearly 69,300 international and around 0.88 million domestic passengers.
Being the busiest airport in Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow's Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport (CCSIA) recorded nearly 1.04 million passenger movements in both months. CCSIA witnessed fruitful first two months with nearly 136,880 international and around 9.03 lakh domestic passengers, according to MIAL.
Considered the gateway to Northeast India, Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport has flights to and from 32 domestic and two international destinations. It recorded a footfall of 902,694 passengers, witnessing a sharp increase from the corresponding months last year.
MIAL said Thiruvananthapuram recorded 299,850 and 299,770 domestic and international footfalls, respectively. The airport has connectivity to 10 domestic and 12 international destinations. Mangalore saw increased traffic of 209,713 national and 84,356 foreign travellers.
Both CSMIA and CCSIA handled record passenger movement on a single day, according to the MIAL statement. While Mumbai recorded around 1,51,543 travellers on February 25, 2023, Lucknow witnessed over 18,000 passengers on January 31, 2023, transiting through the airports.
The growth in traffic is evidence of Adani Airports' attempts to promote passenger confidence through initiatives like e-gates, barcode scanner, friendly and cooperative ground staff, Pranam Service, free WiFi, retail and food and beverages stores, and automated parking system, etc. for a better customer experience and safety standards adopted across all airports, MIAL said.
According to the statement, this rise was driven by positive sentiments among air travellers and a strong surge due to the festive holiday season. It said the operator was well aware of both the challenges and opportunities that come with high passenger volumes, particularly during holiday seasons, because these may vary daily or even hourly depending on the schedule of flights.
Delivering great experiences and encouraging repeat trips are crucial in today's connected world, according to MIAL. To do this, Adani airports try to keep waiting times and congestion to a minimum with the help of operations managers, who are trained to have a clear picture of what is happening on the ground to implement changes quickly and effectively, it added.