Mangaluru: With the onset of the summer schedule, Indian airspace is getting crowded again and the azure sky over Mangalore Airport is no exception. Confirming this heartening scenario for the Indian aviation sector in general and Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) in particular, is the steady upward trend in passengers using this second busiest airport in Karnataka – both for their domestic and international travel needs.
But for an understandable drop in passenger numbers in January 2022 due to the pandemic situation, the numbers in the second half of the financial year 2021-22 have only been upbeat for MIA. The total passenger movement – international and domestic included in October 2021 was 119838, November 116423, December 138369, January 2022 – 92012, February 103004 and March 136822.
The traffic movement has consistently increased. Against 996 movements – domestic, international and general aviation included in October, MIA recorded 1030 traffic movements in November; 1232 in December 1004 in January and 903 in February. Movements in March made up for the slump in February with a total of 1138 movements, the second-highest after December.
Moves by airlines to cash in on passenger buoyancy by adding a new sector – a through flight to Delhi via Pune and increasing the frequency on existing domestic and international sectors too has helped the passenger and aircraft movements head steadily North. An increase in the frequency of flights in the international sector too has contributed to the feel-good factor at this #GatewayToGoodness.
IndiGo, which operates the greatest number of flights to and from MIA, is on the verge of starting operations in Hubballi from May 1. IndiGo has also drawn up plans to increase the frequency of flights it operates to Bengaluru. Air India Express is now connected to Bahrain and Muscat in addition to Dammam, Doha, Dubai and Kuwait. IndiGo operates in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and SpiceJet in Dubai.
Read more on recent developments at Mangalore Airport:
Passengers accept common-use self-service kiosks at M’luru airport
