TBM Staff - Mumbai In a year-end success story, the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata experienced an unprecedented surge in international passenger traffic, exceeding four lakh, according to The Indian Express. This surge, the highest in the past three years for this period, is attributed to the festive season and New Year celebrations, with officials anticipating a continued rise in the coming days.
Comparing this surge to the previous year’s figures, the months of November and December 2023 saw a significant increase, with November recording 2,00,286 passengers and December witnessing a further rise to 2,06,645 passengers. The cumulative tally reached 4,06,931 by December 27, 2023, with a peak of 7,123 international passengers on December 23.
Highlighting positive indicators for the aviation industry post-COVID-19, a senior airport official emphasised that November and December have been the best-performing months in the past three years. This substantial footfall post-pandemic signals a promising trend for the aviation sector.
While current international passenger numbers are slightly below the 2019 record, marking the highest footfall pre-COVID-19, authorities note that the travel count in 2021 saw a significant increase. The Kolkata Airport recorded 88,318 passengers in 2021, a notable rise from the 40,407 passengers in 2020.
