IndiGo fiasco, Kashmir terror keep 2025 airport footfall low
Times of India | 11 January 2026
Kolkata: Kolkata airport posted its strongest post-pandemic performance in 2025 but fell marginally short of matching the pre-Covid peak following disruptions during peak travel periods: the Pahalgam terror attack in April, the Ahmedabad plane crash in June and a two-week-long IndiGo operational fiasco in Dec.
The airport handled around 2.2 crore passengers in 2025, compared with 2.3 crore in 2019, which continued to stand as its highest-ever annual footfall. Passenger traffic in 2025 grew by 1.1% over 2024, marking the airport's best performance since Covid-19 disrupted air travel.
Officials said the series of unforeseen disruptions during peak travel periods prevented the airport from comfortably crossing the pre-pandemic milestone. These events coincided with high-demand periods and led to delays, cancellations and operational bottlenecks, impacting overall passenger throughput.
"We had a steady flow of passengers through the year and performed particularly well in the first three months," said a senior airport official. "But things started slowing down later due to factors beyond our control. There was a constant flow of travellers and most flights went out full, but several disruptions—especially the IndiGo fiasco during the peak season—slowed our progress significantly."
Despite missing the headline passenger target, aircraft occupancy levels at Kolkata airport touched a record high. The average passenger count per flight rose to 157, the highest ever recorded at the airport. This was above the 2019 average of 143 passengers per flight and also higher than the post-Covid figures of 129 in 2023 and 146 in 2024, indicating that airlines operated with consistently high load factors through the year.
Between Jan and Dec 2025, the airport handled 2,14,46,781 passengers across 1,36,616 flights. In comparison, 2024 recorded 2,12,17,064 passengers in 1,45,650 flights, meaning Kolkata airport handled 9,034 fewer flights year-on-year, a decline of 6.2%, even as passenger numbers rose marginally.
Domestic flights declined from 1,26,772 in 2024 to 1,21,154 in 2025, while international flights dropped from 18,888 to 15,462 over the same period.
The year began on a strong note. During the Jan–June period, Kolkata airport recorded a footfall of 1,10,27,180 passengers, falling short of the 2019 first-half figure of 1,10,35,827 by 8,647 passengers.
In terms of flight movements, the airport was yet to return to its pre-Covid scale.
"The entire aviation sector was hit by the triple blow last year. But even then Kolkata airport performed well overall. However international connectivity is where the real opportunity lies," said Anil Punjabi, chairman of the Travel Agents Federation of India (East). "Some old routes like Guangzhou and Hong Kong have already been revived, and efforts are on to bring back more international connections, including destinations such as London and Colombo."