Oct’21 footfall is all time highest
With the government relaxing COVID19 norms, air fares, and load penalty, coupled with an increase in aircraft movement, Jammu Airport has recorded steady rise in passenger footfall this year.
“Jammu Airport has recorded all time highest footfall in the month of October, and it is going to increase further. It reflects the tremendous success of measures taken by the government,” cheers Ranjan Prakash Thakur, Principal Secretary, Civil Aviation Department and Industries and Commerce, J&K.
According to the data provided by authorities, the strategically important Jammu Airport situated in Satwari, catered to a passenger movement of 596,394 between April and October this year. During the same period last year, the Airport had witnessed 307,667 passenger movements.
This footfall has been handled by 6607 flights operated to and from the Airport. Comparatively, 3434 flights had operated at the Airport during the same period last year.
A passenger movement of 78132 was witnessed in April. This number rose to 36665 in May, 59524 in June, 78942 in July, and 102914 in August, 103552 in September, and 136665 in October this year.
While, the airport had catered to a passenger movement of 40 in April 2020, 4178 in May, 34907 in June, 41337 in July, 56866 in August, 73309 in September, and 97030 in October 2020.
Further, the airport managed an aircraft movement of 938 in April this year. May saw a dip and registered 612 operations, which only increased thereon. In June, the movement stood at 708, 920 in July, 1040 in August, 1058 in September, 1331 in October.
During the same period last year, the airport had recorded 74 aircraft movements in April, 156 in May, 467 in June, 615 in July, and 637 in August, 679 in September, and 806 in October.
An airport staffer says, “We are cruising ahead with good rate. April and May had second wave of COVID19 causing the dip, but we improved on that and Load Penalty along with Night Operations gave us better chances to do so.”
Other measures taken at the airport include night landing facility since July 2021, extension of the airstrip and operationalization of the parking.
Moreover, the J&K government has brought down Value Added Taxes and sales tax on the Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) for airlines operating in J&K region to 1% with an aim to promote air traffic, and in turn tourism and economic activities in the Union Territory.
Pertinently, Jammu Airport, a domestic one, has majority of flight operations to and from Srinagar, Delhi and Mumbai airports, via airlines like SpiceJet, Air India, Vistara, etc.
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