Coimbatore airport records 12% rise in passenger traffic

COIMBATORE: Coimbatore International Airport saw significant growth in both passenger and freight traffic during the financial year 2024-25, compared to 2023-24, according to data released by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

Domestic passenger traffic rose by 11%, with the airport handling 29.89 lakh passengers in 2024-25, up from 26.93 lakh in the previous year. International passenger traffic increased by 25%, with 2.63 lakh passengers handled in 2024-25, compared to 2.11 lakh in 2023-24.

Overall, passenger traffic increased by 12% in 2024-25, reaching 32.53 lakh passengers, up from 29.04 lakh in 2023-24.

Domestic freight movement also saw a significant increase of 29%, with 10,270 metric tonnes (MT) handled in 2024-25, compared to 7,972 MT in 2023-24.

International freight movement surged by 97%, with 1,870 MT handled in 2024-25, up from 949 MT the previous year. In total, freight movement rose by 36%, with 12,139 MT in 2024-25, compared to 8,921 MT in 2023-24.

Currently, Coimbatore airport operates 30 domestic flights daily, connecting cities such as Chennai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune and Goa. Additionally, the airport connects to three international cities, with five weekly flights to Sharjah, four weekly services to Abu Dhabi and ten weekly flights to Singapore.

“The launch of international flights by IndiGo to Abu Dhabi and daily services to Singapore contributed to a 25% growth in international passenger traffic and a 97% surge in international freight handling. On the domestic front, the addition of daily Air India flights to Mumbai and New Delhi, along with daily IndiGo flights to Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Goa, led to an 11% rise in passenger movement and a 29% increase in freight handling,” said an official from Coimbatore Airport.

“IndiGo is also set to introduce another flight to Bengaluru from the second week of May, operating three days a week,” the official added.

"Reconfiguration of the existing terminal is the need of the hour to accommodate the rising passenger numbers. Currently, there is no dedicated cargo flight from Coimbatore. Introducing dedicated cargo flight services for both domestic and international sectors is essential," said Kongu Global Forum (KGF) director J Sathish.

He urged the AAI to consider increasing the number of flights to Delhi, Chennai, and Pune and to introduce new services to Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Mangaluru and Thiruvananthapuram.

“International flights to Dubai, Doha, Colombo, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur should also be considered. Meeting these demands will contribute to the development of the western Tamil Nadu region,” he added.