The Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar reached a major milestone in the fiscal year FY2023-24, which ended on March 31, by surpassing 3 million (30-lakh) passengers.
Sameep Singh Gumtala, the global convener of the FlyAmritsar Initiative, a global advocacy group dedicated to promoting and enhancing connectivity at Amritsar Airport, announced the news citing data released by the Airport Authority of India.
The airport recorded 30,85,598 passengers at the end of FY2023-23 recording a growth of 22.6 percent from the previous year, which recorded 25,16,518 passengers. Of the total footfall, 9,81,405 were international passengers accounting for 30 percent increase compared to the previous fiscal year.
In addition, as Gumtala pointed out, the FlyAmritsar Initiative analyzed the data thoroughly and found that Amritsar moved up the passenger footfall rankings, going from 25th to 23rd. The data released by Airport Authority every month includes a total of 40 international and 95 domestic airports.
The Amritsar airport also witnessed an increase in total aircraft movements, increasing from 19,251 to 21,648, a 10.9 percent increase over the previous year. New international flight routes that started during FY2023-24 included direct flights to Kuala Lumpur by Air Asia X and Malaysia Airlines, London Gatwick by Air India, Rome and Verona in Italy by Neos Air.
Currently, the airport operates with 6 Indian and 5 foreign carries, connecting to 13 domestic and 9 international destinations including Dubai, Sharjah, Doha, Rome, Milan, London Gatwick, Birmingham, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. It facilitates approximately 65 daily departures and arrivals, with an average daily footfall of 10,000 passengers.
Achieving more than 3 million passengers per year would entice more airlines, according to Gumtala, who was pleased with the airport's traffic progress. He extended his gratitude to everyone who had a hand in reaching the milestone, including passengers, members of the Punjabi diaspora, airline employees, and airport officials.
Gumtala brought attention to the fact that, despite the growth, the State Government still has not addressed the persistent demand for bus connectivity with other Punjabi cities. However, he did point out that the Mann administration is actively working to improve bus service between the cities of Punjab and the airport in Delhi.
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