Decline in International Passenger Traffic at Shamshabad Airport

Foreign passenger traffic at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Shamshabad has declined amid the continuing impact of the West Asia conflict. The number of passengers travelling to and from India from the US and several other countries has been falling gradually. Higher airfares, along with fuel surcharges, have also contributed to the decline.

Compared with June last year, foreign passenger traffic at Shamshabad Airport fell from 4.42 lakh to 4.30 lakh in June this year. During the April-June quarter, the airport recorded 11.20 lakh foreign passengers, compared with 11.37 lakh during the corresponding quarter last year, according to an Airports Authority of India report. International airports in major metro cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru, have also recorded negative growth. While international passenger traffic had earlier been growing by around 8-12%, the growth rate has been declining since October last year.