Hyderabad airport saw 21m passengers in 2022-23
Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) witnessed over 21 million passengers in 2022-23, recovering over 97 percent of passenger traffic which it had during the Covid-19 period.
Airport operator GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) said in a statement on Monday, 24 April, that RGIA handled 17.6 million domestic passengers and more than 3.4 million international passengers in 2022-23.
Skytrax World Airport Awards ranked RGIA 63rd globally. The aerodrome was also adjudged the Best Regional Airport in India and South Asia.
The total air traffic movements (ATMs) at Hyderabad airport during 2022-23 were 1.6 lakh, of which 1.37 lakh were domestic and 22,957 international.
GHIAL said both domestic and international passenger traffic increased considerably during the reporting financial year.
Increase in traffic
“Domestic airlines increased their load factors despite supply chain issues across the world,” GHIAL said.
ATMs showed an uptick and new domestic and international travel destinations were added from the Hyderabad airport, attracting more travellers from across the southern region,” it stated.
It added that along with multi-national companies and corporate passengers, those visiting friends and relatives (VFR), tourists, Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and student traffic helped Hyderabad Airport recover faster than any other metro airport in India.
GHIAL said the transfer traffic increased from 13 percent to 22 percent.
“The Hyderabad International Airport is envisioned to be a major travel hub for people travelling from Southern and Central India. As a preferred and largest transit hub, it offers convenient proximity for passengers originating from nearby cities. Airlines can connect to any part of India within a flying time of two hours,” GHIAL said.
It claimed that internationally, airlines from Hyderabad airport can connect to South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East within a flying duration of four hours.
“It can also support the traffic requirement for long-haul flights to the USA, Europe, and Australia. We have seen a strong O&D (origin and destination) traffic to the USA, Europe, Africa, South East Asia, and Australia to complement the hub traffic in Hyderabad,” GHIAL claimed.
Fourth-busiest airport in India
Hyderabad has become India’s fourth busiest airport in annual passenger traffic. Earlier, it was in the sixth position.
In 2022-23, the Hyderabad airport added three new domestic sectors.
“It is now connected to over 70 domestic destinations, from the pre-Covid period of 55 domestic destinations,” GHIAL said.
“The UDAN initiative, which is aimed to bolster the regional connectivity of travellers to Tier II-Tier III cities, has further boosted the connectivity across India,” it stated.
The RGIA is now re-connected to its “earlier favourite” destinations such as Singapore, Qatar, Sharjah, Doha, and Kuwait after a Covid-enforced hiatus.
“Recently, the Hyderabad-Colombo flight has resumed. A wide-bodied service to Singapore has been introduced. Dhaka, Baghdad, and Don Mueang (Bangkok) were added to the list,” GHIAL said.
Unique terminal facility
The GHIAL said that the Hyderabad International Airport is increasing its per annum capacity from the current 12 million to 34 million with an integrated domestic and international terminal under a single roof. This is to strengthen its operations.
Officials said the integrated terminal is a unique facility in the entire South and Central India. It is expected to enhance value to airlines in choosing Hyderabad International Airport as a preferred hub.
“There has been an upsurge in air travel from the region. This is a healthy trend for the sector. We endeavour to ensure a safe, efficient, and sustainable air transport system for passengers,” Pradeep Panicker, Chief Executive Officer of GHIAL said.
“Strategic investments in technology and infrastructure as part of our expansion plans in a phased manner have enabled convenient travel,” he further said.
GHIAL has added a few new destinations and restored some previous ones. “We look forward to welcoming more travellers and increased connectivity once the entire expansion is completed.”
-B
