Tiruchi airport clocks 25 per cent growth in international passenger traffic

With a robust growth recorded in passenger and freight movement, the Tiruchi international airport has emerged as one of the fast growing non-metro airports in the country.

Catering essentially to select South, South East Asian, and West Asian destinations this profit-making airport has seen a steady rise in overseas flight services of certain low-cost foreign carriers spurring growth.

Serving as a hub for a large workforce of central and southern districts employed in West Asia and South East Asia, Tiruchi is unique among non-metro airports with more overseas operations than domestic connectivity.

Financial year 2014-15 was a landmark period for the airport when the overall passenger traffic crossed the one million mark with the volume of export cargo despatched exceeding 4,700 tonnes.

International passenger traffic clocked 25 per cent growth last fiscal because of the increase in overseas flight services with patronage being 90 per cent in all airlines, say airport authorities.

Kuala Lumpur–bound Air Asia with 21 services a week tops among the foreign airlines in passenger and cargo movement. Operating two flights a day in the Tiruchi–Colombo- Tiruchi sector is the Sri Lankan Airlines with the Air India Express plying in the Tiruchi – Singapore and Tiruchi – Dubai sectors. With Singapore-bound Tiger Airways augmenting its services to 13 per week and Kuala Lumpur-bound Malindo Air’s plan to increase its services to 14 per week from August, passenger and freight movements are expected to get a fillip.

Citing traffic data, airport authorities say Tiruchi airport was growing at 15 to 20 per cent adding that it was one of the few profit-making airports in the country now.

Even as the airport was on the growth trajectory, there had been a persistent demand from passengers, IATA agents and exporters of the Tiruchi region for operation of flights from Tiruchi to certain key West Asia destinations such as Kuwait, Sharjah, Qatar, and Jeddah.

With the lone West Asian connectivity being only to Dubai from Tiruchi at present, the workforce and other travellers of the region are forced to travel to Chennai or go via Colombo.

There are several enquiries to Kuwait, Sharjah and Qatar and if the Air India Express or other carriers were to operate flight services to these destinations from Tiruchi, it would augur well for the export community and travellers, says a Tiruchi-based IATA agent.

In the absence of direct connectivity to West Asian destinations such as Kuwait, cargo, especially perishable commodities which account for the maximum, are routed via Colombo, say exporters.

However, Singapore happens to be the major market for freight from Tiruchi, says an airport official.

Acknowledging that there was a heavy demand to certain West Asian destinations from Tiruchi, an official of the Air India here said the airline was unable to start new services because of shortage of aircraft. However, things would change once the leasing of aircraft was completed in the year-end, he added.

With e-tourist visa facility set to be launched at the airport shortly, airport officials foresee a further spike in passenger traffic.