BENGALURU- The month of November 2024 has been a remarkable month in terms of Indian Aviation growth, with airports and airlines registering tremendous growth.
Indian carriers have registered remarkable figures. The airlines carried 5.91 percent higher passengers in the first 11 months of 2024 as compared to the same period in 2023. This development shows that air travel demand is on the rise in India. The enhanced connectivity by airlines is supporting the growth along with more travelers choosing fly for journeys.
Indian Aviation Boom
The growth on a month-to-month basis is also tremendous. In November 2024, Indian airlines carried a remarkable 14.55 million passengers, compared to 12.73 million in October – translating to a month-on-month rise of 11.9 percent. This shows the recovery of the sector post-pandemic is great and the capacity for the airlines to survive and thrive in the market, be it domestic or international.
Of all the airports in India, Kempegowda International Airport-Bengaluru and Rajiv Gandhi International Airport-Hyderabad are on top of the chart with respect to growth in passenger volumes. Bengaluru, known as the Indian Silicon Valley, has quite naturally shown continued traffic growth because of its burgeoning tech ecosystem, and growth in tourism, coupled with greater and ever-growing demand for global connectivity. Meanwhile, Hyderabad Airport is fast establishing itself as an emerging aviation hub in South India, with its ideal location and world-class infrastructure complementing it.
Top 6 Indian airports grew in November 2024
All six metro airports in India recorded healthy passenger growth in November 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. However, Bengaluru Airport (BLR) and Hyderabad Airport (HYD) stood out, achieving the highest growth across all three categories: domestic, international, and combined passenger traffic (domestic + international), reflecting the booming Indian Aviation growth.
This remarkable performance underscores the increasing prominence of these two southern hubs in India’s aviation ecosystem. Their strategic importance continues to grow, contributing significantly to India’s overall aviation market expansion.
- Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (HYD) has shown the highest growth in Domestic passengers in the country. With 26.7% growth compared to last year, Hyderabad Airport handled a whooping 21,29,692 domestic passengers compared to 16,80,439 passengers in October 2024.
- Kempegowda International Airport (BLR) takes the 2nd spot in terms of growth in Domestic passengers. With an impressive Year-on-Year growth of 14.5%, Bengaluru airport handled 30,63,408 domestic passengers compared to 26,76,442 passengers in November 2023. The airport is well on track to enter the 40MPPA (million passengers per annum) bracket in CY 2024.
- Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) in Delhi took the third spot. The airport showed a healthy Year-on-Year growth of 12.3% in the month of November 2024. The airport witnessed 49,35,825 domestic flyers compared to 43,95,834 domestic flyers in November 2023. As the nation’s busiest airport and primary international gateway, Delhi continues to handle the highest overall passenger numbers.
- Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU) took fourth spot with 10.4% Year-on-Year growth. Kolkata Airport handled 16,97,086 passengers in November 2024.
- Chennai International Airport (MAA) handled 13,65,412 passengers in November 2024 and was the 5th one on the list with 8.1% Year-on-Year growth.
- Lastly, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM) in Mumbai showed 6.6% Year-on-Year growth and handled 34,03,020 passengers. Mumbai remains the 2nd busiest airport in the country.
International Growth:
Kempegowda International Airport (BLR) takes the crown in terms of growth in international passengers. The airport handled 504,691 International passengers in the month of November 2024 and registered a whopping 26.6% growth compared to November 2023. Bengaluru Airport is the only airport to have shown a growth greater than 20% in the country.
Bengaluru Airport recently in the month of October 2024, overtook Chennai (MAA) to become the country’s 3rd busiest airport in terms of international passengers. This was the first time the airport overtook Chennai. Bengaluru Airport in the month of November continues to be the 3rd busiest airport in the country.
Several International and Indian airlines added flights to Bengaluru in the month of November. This is the first time Bengaluru airport has handled more than 500,000 international passengers. Most importantly, the unprecedented international flight additions by IndiGo (6E) from the city have had a major contribution towards this achievement.
Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (HYD) is on the 2nd spot. The airport registered 14.3% Year-on-Year growth. The airport handled 401,790 international passengers compared to 351,607 international flyers in November 2023.
Hyderabad Airport (HYD) may overtake Kochi Airport (COK) in the near future. Kochi Airport (COK) handled 418,001 international passengers in the month of November 2024. The gap is evidently not big.
In November 2023, Kochi Airport (COK) handled 405,073 international flyers while Hyderabad Airport (HYD) had 351,607 international passengers. From the 2024 figures, the conclusion can be drawn that Hyderabad Airport is reducing the gap very fast.
Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) in Delhi showed the next highest growth. The airport witnessed 18,53,089 international passengers. Needless to say, the airport handled the highest number of international flyers, scripting the Indian Aviation growth story.
Delhi Airport registered a Year-on-Year growth of 10.4% growth.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM) showed the next highest growth. Mumbai Airport is the 2nd busiest airport in the country. The airport handled 13,72,746 international flyers and showed an 8.1% Year-on-Year growth. The airport is a critical hub for both domestic and international operations.
The unavailability of slots at the airport has surely been hampering the airport’s growth rates. Hopefully, Navi Mumbai after opening will free up slots in Mumbai Airport (BOM).
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU) and Chennai International Airport (MAA) both the airports registered negative growth. While Kolkata airport shrank by -1.1%, Chennai Airport shrank by -1%.
This negative growth can be attributed to the reduced flights to Bangladesh from both airports. Both airports had multiple daily flights in the past. Presently, the flights are tremendously down.
Bottom Line
November is traditionally considered a relatively lean month for air travel, especially when compared to the peak activity in December. However, November 2024 has performed better than all expectations, proving to be an exceptional month for Indian aviation with significant growth across the country.
As we have moved into December, which is considered the busiest month of the year for air travel—it is likely that we are going to witness even more mind-blowing numbers and probably record-breaking figures.
With holiday travel and Christmas driving demand, Indian aviation might just be gearing up for its most exciting month yet.
Feature Image by Siddh Dhuri | Instagram
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