Telangana capital records 25% growth in no. of passengers as compared to city’s 13.7%

The city’s airport faces stiff competition from Hyderabad airport, which is growing at a brisk pace in terms of aircraft movement and the number of passengers it handles.

Chennai airport is currently the fourth busiest in the country, behind Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Hyderabad airport is in the fifth place in terms of aircraft movement and sixth with regard to passenger movement. Kolkata airport stands in fifth place in terms of passengers handled and sixth in aircraft movement.

Data released by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) shows that Hyderabad airport has notched up higher growth in the number of domestic passengers travelled than Chennai.

In April 2018, while Hyderabad recorded 13.8 lakh domestic passengers, Chennai airport had 13.5 lakh users.

Between April 2017 and April 2018, Hyderabad airport has seen an increase of 25% in the total number of passengers travelled, while Chennai has seen 13.7% growth. The rate at which Hyderabad is progressing, it will soon overtake both Chennai and Kolkata, said AAI officials.

In fact, Chennai airport has managed to hold on to its fourth position only by dint of its international passenger traffic, an official said.

International sector

“But even in the international sector, Hyderabad airport has shown a growth of 16.7% (between April 2017-18) against Chennai’s 11.5%,” he added.

Three years ago, Chennai airport lost its third busiest airport tag to Bengaluru airport.

Officials said the reasons why Chennai airport could lose out to other airports include infrastructure and maintenance-related problems and the absence of a plan for the future.

“Many airlines often don’t get slots in the bay for parking their aircraft during peak hours and it is one of the reasons why they prefer shifting base to Hyderabad which is developing well. For instance, IndiGo has kept Hyderabad as its base for ATR operations and numerous flights have been added, increasing aircraft and passenger movement. Also, Chennai airport needs to improve by leaps and bounds in keeping the toilets and other facilites clean,” an official said.

No second airport

Besides, for nearly a decade now, a second airport for the city has been in the works but the State government has failed to finalised a site. The present airport, officials said, can be expanded only to a certain extent.

Sudhakar Reddy of Air Passengers Association of India said, “We have lost ten years already. Chennai airport used to be prestigious once upon a time. If we have to compete with the other metro airports, it’s high time we have a good second airport at the earliest.”