South India’s gateway to 5 major UAE cities: Kannur airport logs 29% passenger surge in May

Mattannur: Kannur International Airport (KIAL) recorded a significant surge in passenger traffic in May, registering a 29% increase over the same period last year. The airport handled 1,47,928 passengers during the month, alongside a 36% rise in flight operations, with 1,211 flights taking off or landing at the facility.

UAE dominates international traffic

Among international destinations, Abu Dhabi recorded the highest passenger volume, with 23,587 flyers travelling to the UAE capital. Notably, 60% of all international passengers from Kannur flew to destinations within the United Arab Emirates.

Kannur has now become the only airport in South India offering direct services to all five major UAE cities—Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, and Fujairah—following IndiGo’s launch of its Fujairah service.

Flights to Fujairah have seen over 90% seat occupancy since their inception. IndiGo is also slated to begin operations to Dammam, Saudi Arabia, by mid-June.

Mumbai tops domestic travel

On the domestic front, Mumbai emerged as the busiest sector, with 13,200 passengers in May. The rise is attributed to Air India Express commencing services on the route in April, joining IndiGo. During May, Air India Express also began flights to Hyderabad and Thiruvananthapuram.

Hajj operations in full swing

Between May 11 and 29, 4,756 Hajj pilgrims departed from Kannur. The second phase of return flights for pilgrims is scheduled to begin on June 30.