Guwahati’s Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (LGBIA) has reported a growth of 31 per cent in passenger movement over the last one year according to data from the Airports Authority of India (AAI), reports The Sentinel. LGBIA’s growth was the highest among the twelve busiest airports in India, and has pushed it up the list of the country’s top airports to the eight position.

The sole international airport serving the Northeast, it handled 34.5 lakh passengers in 2016 and 45.3 lakh in 2017. LGBIA was followed by Kolkata’s Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (NSCBIA) which showed 28 per cent growth, handling 18.8 lakh passengers in 2017. LGBIA handled 41,172 aircraft movements in the corresponding period last year.

Around 120 commercial flights operate out of the airport situated in Borjhar in the outskirts of Guwahati and according to AAI officials this number may double soon.

LGBIA is currently undergoing expansion with construction on a new terminal underway which is set to open in 2021. Spread over 90,000 square metre, the new terminal will be able to handle over 3,000 passengers per hour.

The growth of other airports too was significant. Jaipur came in third with 24 per cent, followed by Pune at 23 per cent. Hyderabad and Ahmedabad followed with 20 per cent, Goa with 17 per cent, Delhi with 14 per cent, Bengaluru with 13 per cent, Chennai and Kochi with 11 per cent. Mumbai was at the bottom, registering a growth of just 6 per cent.