The movement of international passengers at SVPI airport in the city for 2011-12 (April-November) is heading south.
A study of the data shows that since April, 2011, the international passenger movement at the airport has been in the negative vis-a-vis 2010-11. Passenger movement refers to those flying in and out of the city. However, on the upside, the movement of domestic passengers has seen a tremendous increase for the same period.
Interestingly, the negative trend in international passenger movement has got both airline and airport officials baffled. While some blame it on recession, others say it could be because of drop in direct flights connecting the city to various countries. It should be noted that drop in passenger movement also affects the income of the airport.
“It is a surprising trend and is difficult to say what could have possibly led to this situation. The recession could be a reason. Moreover, the peak season for international passengers is December-February and I think the trend may get reversed,” said an Air India official.
An airport official blamed the drop in number of direct flights from the city to other countries. “Many passengers who travel by private airlines first go to Mumbai or Delhi and then fly to foreign destinations. They will hence be registered as domestic passengers at SVPI airport. This could explain why domestic passenger numbers has gone up while the international ones have come down,” said the official.
On the drop in number affecting income, the official said, “The airport earns revenue by way of passenger service fee and user development fee. The earning is high from an international flight vis-a-vis a domestic one assuming that the size of the aircraft and number of passengers is the same,” said the official.
An official of Emirates Airlines said recession could be the reason. “Our flights are chock-a-block. This trend is surprising because I don’t think passenger movement was affected during the last recession,” said the official. He said though the peak season has just begun it could be possible that the negative trend may still continue when compared to last year.
