Kolkata airport has registered its highest post-pandemic monthly passenger traffic in December 2024, with a remarkable 20.2 lakh passengers passing through the terminal. This is a significant increase compared to the 18.5 lakh passengers recorded in December 2023, and it nearly matches the pre-pandemic peak of 21 lakh passengers seen in December 2019.
This surge comes after the airport's strong performance in October 2024, when it had also recorded impressive passenger traffic due to the convergence of major festivals such as Durga Puja, Kali Puja, Diwali, and Bhai Phonta. That month, the airport handled around 19.2 lakh passengers, but the December 2024 figures outpaced those numbers by a substantial margin.
A senior official at Kolkata airport explained that the airport had been handling a steady flow of passengers since the start of the month. Daily traffic exceeded 60,000 passengers almost every day, with peak days seeing even higher numbers. To accommodate the increased footfall, additional airport staff and CISF personnel were deployed to expedite check-in and security processes. The frequency of cleaning in key areas like washrooms and seating spaces in the security hold area was also increased to ensure passenger comfort.
During peak hours, the airport made use of the DigiYatra lanes for manual entry, which helped streamline the passenger processing experience. According to official data, the airport had served 18.5 lakh passengers in December 2023, marking a notable growth in footfall in just one year.
The COVID-19 pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 had seen a significant drop in passenger numbers, with only 10.5 lakh and 14.6 lakh passengers respectively. The easing of travel restrictions in 2022 saw a gradual recovery, with the airport handling around 17 lakh passengers. However, December 2024 marked a breakthrough, almost returning to the peak pre-pandemic levels of 21 lakh passengers recorded in 2019.
In December 2024, the airport saw domestic traffic of 9.1 lakh arrivals and 9 lakh departures, along with international traffic that included 1.2 lakh incoming passengers and around 1.1 lakh outbound passengers. October 2024 also recorded a high single-day traffic of 69,560 passengers, with the daily average for the month standing at 65,091 passengers. Throughout the month, not a single day saw the footfall dropping below 60,000 passengers.
The surge in traffic is attributed to a mix of factors, including an influx of tourists leaving Kolkata for popular holiday destinations like Kashmir, Goa, Andamans, and Himachal Pradesh during the festive season. The drop in Metro-to-Metro airfares between Christmas and New Year also encouraged more people to travel by air.
"The continued high traffic is a positive sign for both the aviation and tourism industries," said Anil Punjabi, national committee member of the Travel Agents Federation of India (East). "The addition of new flights across various sectors has led to a drop in airfares, making flying more affordable and accessible to a larger number of travellers."
With the festive season concluding, authorities are optimistic that this trend of high traffic will continue, benefitting both the aviation sector and the broader tourism industry. The record figures from December 2024 highlight the strong recovery of Kolkata's airport after the pandemic, as it steadily returns to its pre-pandemic levels of operation.
