Jaipur airport sees higher summer flight movements this year

Jaipur: Daily flight movement from Jaipur airport is higher this summer than last year, with officials citing that air traffic movements increased to 120 every day, which stood between 102 and 104, on average, last year.Intrastate routes to Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner are continuing even during the summer schedule, unlike previous years when they were often suspended due to low passenger demand.Airport sources attribute the increase to increased connectivity on different routes from Jaipur International Airport and Rajasthan’s 2% VAT on aviation turbine fuel, or ATF, lower than in states such as Gujarat, Delhi, Chandigarh and Maharashtra.“The VAT on ATF was reduced by the previous govt in 2023, and the same rate has continued. Along with this, new routes both within and to other states have been added from Jaipur airport, which has helped increase the flight movements even during summer months, which usually see a dip,” said a source.Sources added that due to lower VAT and availability of passengers, airline companies are continuing to operate short-distance routes on domestic flights. Jaipur International Airport is one of the busiest airports in Rajasthan, managing over 60 lakh passengers in the year 2024-25.On May 16, the Delhi govt reduced the VAT from 25% to 7% to lower airlines’ operating costs and support the aviation sector amid the global energy crisis. Last week, Maharashtra govt reduced it from 18% to 7%. Both states made the changes for six months.