IndiGo’s entry to increase footfall at Tiruchi airport

Come June 1, footfall of domestic passengers is set to increase manifold in Tiruchi airport with IndiGo airline deciding to operate four daily services in the Chennai - Tiruchi - Chennai sector.

With the entry of another private airline, Tiruchi airport is poised to become busy in passenger and flight movements. Stakeholders strongly feel that there would be a quantum jump in domestic passenger movement with the four additional flights.

Still, domestic passenger movement would continue to be no match to international traffic as Tiruchi has more overseas flights. IndiGo will be the third player to operate in the Chennai - Tiruchi - Chennai sector, after Jet Airways (three flight services) and Alliance Air (one).

According to Airports Authority of India traffic statistics, the non-metro Tiruchi international airport handled a little over 1.23 lakh domestic passengers during April to February in 2017-18 financial year.

However, the airport witnessed a downward trend with respect to domestic passenger traffic as compared to the corresponding period from April to February in the 2016-17 financial year when it was a little over 1.56 lakh.

Airport authorities see a very positive development for Tiruchi airport in IndiGo's entry.

“We expect a definite rise in domestic movements during the current fiscal with IndiGo's entry and the recent operation of direct services by Jet Airways to Mumbai and New Delhi from Tiruchi,” Airport Director Tiruchi K. Gunasekaran said.

Stakeholders expect domestic flight movement, which was over 2,400 from April to February in the 2017-18 fiscal, to soar this fiscal.

Source