Trichy airport crosses 2mn passengers mark, logs record cargo in FY26

Trichy: Trichy international airport handled a record of 2.2 million passengers in 2025-26, crossing the two-million mark for the first time, even as it registered its highest-ever cargo throughput. The airport handled 7,184 tonnes of cargo during the financial year, marking a new high for the non-metro airport despite disruptions caused by the Gulf crisis and IndiGo's airline scheduling issues.According to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the airport handled 1.9 million passengers in 2024-25, which was its previous best. Improved connectivity and increased demand following the commissioning of the new integrated terminal contributed to the growth. While a few new international routes — including Jaffna, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City — were introduced, services to Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City were later withdrawn, leaving Jaffna as the only addition. However, higher seat occupancy on existing routes helped sustain international passenger traffic. Additional services to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur played a key role in pushing overall numbers past the two-million mark by March 20. Despite the drop in international destinations, higher seat occupancy on existing routes helped maintain international passenger traffic without a major decline. Additional services to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur also supported overall numbers, helping the airport cross the two-million mark by March 20. Domestic traffic registered a sharp 48% increase, driven by new and additional services to cities including New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kochi, which contributed significantly to the overall growth. "The integration of domestic and international traffic from Trichy airport is pivotal to this achievement. IndiGo and Air India Express were urged to operate additional domestic services, and the demand materialised well," said Durai Vaiko, Trichy MP and chairman of the airport advisory committee. Meanwhile, cargo movement also recorded double-digit growth, rising about 11% from 6,480 tonnes in 2024-25 to 7,184 tonnes in 2025-26 — the first time the airport has crossed the 7,000-tonne-mark. "If not for the ongoing Gulf crisis, which grounded services to three UAE destinations for over a month, both passenger traffic and export cargo could have been higher, and the milestone achieved earlier," said airport director S S Raju. The MP added that efforts are underway to further boost cargo operations, with a proposal to utilise the old terminal exclusively for aviation-related activities, including freight handling. MSID:: 129981755 413 |