Mangaluru International Airport handled 1,62,667 passengers in July

Mangaluru: The Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) has handled the highest number of passengers in both domestic and international sectors in the month of July during the current financial year.

The airport handled 1,62,667 passengers in July, including 1,07,455 domestic and 55,212 international passengers. This is the second highest number of passengers that the airport has handled since commercial operation date (COD) of October 31, 2020. The airport in May 2022 had handled 1,67,180 passengers, which is the highest since the COD, a release from MIA here said on Friday.

In the first four months of FY 2023-24, the airport handled 24,037 more passengers at 6,20,553 passengers compared to 5,96,516 passengers it handled in the corresponding period during the previous fiscal. This includes 1,40,633 passengers in April, 1,61,857 in May, 1,55,396 in June and 1,62,667 in July, the release said.

The buoyancy in passenger movement in July 2023 during monsoon has helped boost the numbers.

The airport at present provides direct domestic connectivity to Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune and through connectivity to Ranchi with IndiGo and Air India operating exclusively to Mumbai.

On the international front, the airport provides direct connectivity to Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dammam, Doha, Dubai, Kuwait and Muscat and one through flight to Bahrain via Kannur. Air India Express has near monopoly on flights to the international destinations, it said.

The MIA has also registered an uptick in handling of domestic cargo ever since integrated cargo terminal (ICT) became operational on May 1, 2023. The airport handled 246 tonnes of assorted cargo in May and this increased to 332 tonnes in June and 376 tonnes in July.

Most of the cargo handled at ICT is outbound with 229 tonnes handled in May, 306 tonnes in June and 354 tonnes in July respectively. The inbound cargo largely comprises of e-commerce items, stationery and post office mail, the release said.