Surat airport records highest-ever monthly footfall

Surat: Surat International Airport recorded its highest-ever passenger traffic in a single month in Jan 2026, with a total of 1,71,580 passengers travelling from the Diamond City. The previous record was set in Nov last year, when 1,70,127 passengers used the airport. The latest milestone is particularly noteworthy as Jan registered 122 fewer aircraft movements compared to Nov. Amid the steady rise in passenger numbers, Surtis have renewed their demand for additional sectors and improved passenger facilities to match the growing traffic.In Jan 2026, as many as 1,47,920 domestic passengers travelled through 1,295 domestic flight movements, while 23,660 international passengers flew via 152 international movements.In comparison, Nov last year saw 1,50,725 domestic passengers travelling through 1,449 movements, while 19,402 international passengers travelled through 120 movements.Rajesh Modi, a frequent flyer, said, "This milestone clearly reflects Surat's growing stature as an emerging aviation hub in India. However, despite being a 24x7 operational airport with night parking facilities, the lack of late-night and early-morning flights remains a significant missed opportunity to fully utilise the available infrastructure."Modi said passengers are increasingly facing congestion during peak hours, particularly in the first-floor security hold area when three to four flights depart in quick succession.Linesh Shah, who closely tracks aviation developments in Surat, said, "Even with 122 fewer flights compared to Nov last year, the airport handled more passengers. Had the same number of flights operated, the figure could have comfortably crossed 1.80 lakh passengers. This consistent upward trend underscores the urgent need to introduce more domestic sectors such as Varanasi, Patna, Ranchi, Lucknow, Bhubaneswar and Coimbatore, along with expanding international connectivity to destinations like Malaysia and Qatar."