Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad have recorded their best year yet in terms of traffic on the back of a record year for domestic aviation in India beating the previous best which was recorded in 2023.
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Delhi
The largest airport in the country has further strengthened its position in CY2024 with 77,820,834 passengers (77.82 million), a growth of 7.8% over the previous year, shows data reported by GroupeADP which has investments in GMR Airports – which operates Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.
At 449,075, the ATMs grew by 5.9% over last year which is a growth of only 1.7% over 2019. However, this is an indicator of higher load factors and that automatically translates into higher demand from airlines to fly to Delhi as higher load factors offer an ability to increase fares.
Compared to 2019, the last full year of operations pre COVID, Delhi Airport has seen a growth of 13.6%. Delhi was impacted by the fall of Jet Airways to an extent since it took a while for traffic to be back to Jet Airways levels. The airport has grown from strength to strength in 2024 and touched 145 non-stop destinations early this year. The airport is now capable of handling 100 million passengers when all terminals are fully operational.
Mumbai
The airport recorded 54.8 million passengers in CY 2024, achieving a growth of 6.3% compared to 2023 and 19.41% growth compared to 2019, the last full year of operations before COVID. In 2019, the airline had seen a dip in numbers as its anchor airline Jet Airways went bust seeing a huge reduction in traffic which took a while to recover.
December 2024 was the best ever month for the airport in its history with a traffic of 5.05 million passengers, with December 21 being the busiest single day when the airport hosted 169,782 passengers, which was split as 116,982 domestic and 52,800 international travellers. The airport said that its top domestic destinations were Delhi, Bengaluru and Goa while its top international destinations were Dubai, London and Abu Dhabi. CSMIA also recorded 346,617 Air Traffic Movements (ATMs), marking a 3.2% increase over the previous year. February 03 and 10 saw CSMIA handle its highest-ever single-day ATMs for CY 2024, with 962 movements on both days.
As per the airline the top domestic destinations were Delhi (18% share of all travelers), Bengaluru (11%) and Goa (7%). On the international side, Dubai (16%), London (7%) and Abu Dhabi (7%) saw maximum traffic. In terms of region, the middle east saw nearly half the traffic at 48.8%. These numbers also include passengers who fly beyond the middle east and shows how strong a hub middle east has become in recent years. This is followed by Asia- Pacific at 28.2% and Europe at 14.5%.
CSMIA continued to enhance its network, introducing international routes to Tashkent and Almaty and domestic destinations like Deoghar, Rajahmundry, Tirupati, Ayodhya, and Vijayawada. The airport also welcomed prominent carriers, including Nok Air, Thai Viet Jet, Salam Air, Uzbekistan Airways, and Air Astana.
Bengaluru
Bengaluru’s Kempegowda airport which is firming up its place as undisputed number three in India joined the 40 million passengers club in 2024. In 2024, BLR Airport welcomed 40.73 million passengers as compared to 37.2 million in 2023. The highest number of passengers in a single day was recorded on October 20, 2024, with 126,532 passengers passing through the airport. Additionally, the Airport recorded a peak of 782 Air Traffic Movements (ATMs) on October 17, 2024, with an annual average of 723 ATMs per day.
As of December 31, 2024, Bengaluru Airport serviced 75 domestic and 30 international destinations, further solidifying its position as a premier gateway for both passenger and cargo traffic in the region. The Airport expanded its global network with new airline partners like Virgin Atlantic, Salam Air, and Fly91. The frequency of international flights increased by 21%, with an average of 75 ATMs per day in CY 2024, up from 62 ATMs per day in CY 2023. By the end of CY24, Indigo added 46 international weekly departures from Bengaluru, making up one-third of the total 240 additional international weekly departures from India. This is the highest number of additions in India from any station by Indigo in CY24.
This growth was complemented by a significant surge in daily air traffic movements (ATMs)
and the launch of several new domestic and international routes. Bengaluru Airport also reported its highest-ever annual cargo tonnage of 496,227 MT, reflecting strong performance in both international and domestic segments. These milestones highlight Bengaluru Airport’s growing importance as a major hub for travel and trade in the region.
Major airlines operating to and from Bengaluru Airport have increased international seat capacity by over 3,700 daily seats between the beginning of the IATA Summer 2024 season and the Winter 2024 season. This surge is largely driven by Indigo’s expansion of its international network and frequency, along with increased services from several foreign carriers. As a result, Bengaluru Airport is now consolidating its position as the third busiest airport in India for international passenger numbers.
Hyderabad
Hyderabad Airport, which entered the 25 million passengers club in 2023, has recorded 27,873,202 (27.87 million) passengers in 2024, a growth of 14.8% over the previous year, shows data shared by GroupeADP. Compared to pre-COVID, the growth is 25.2%. Hyderabad was least impacted by the fall of Jet Airways, amongst the metro cities and hence its climb has been higher than others. The airport also underwent expansion and renovation allowing it to cater to more passengers than ever and increase its Air Traffic Movements (ATM).
At 192,169 ATMs, the airport saw a growth of 13% in 2024 over 2023, and a growth of 4.7% as compared to 2019, the last full year of operations pre-COVID.
Tail Note
Data for other airports is expected soon and it is certain that most major airports in the country would be at their all time best in 2024. Indian aviation is largely dominated by domestic traffic and it was at its best in 2024, translating into a good flow of passengers for airports too.
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