Archive · 30 Dec 2025
Mixed Trends in India's Airports
In India, some airports are very busy while others have very few flights.
Between April and November 2025, 29 airports had only 2 or fewer flights each day, and five airports had no flights at all.
Places like Shimla and Kushinagar saw a big drop in flights.
However, other airports like Patna, Indore, and Varanasi saw a lot more passengers, with Patna having a 21.5% increase.
The government wants to build more airports to help connect smaller cities better.
Experts are thinking about whether all these airports are useful and if the government's plan is working well.
29 airports in India had 2 or fewer flights per day between April and November 2025, with five airports having no flights at all.
Shimla's flight movements halved to 385, and Kushinagar saw a drop from 44 to 6 flights.
Kota's flights halved to 30, Moradabad's flights dropped over 92% to 6, and Ludhiana averaged 1 flight per day.
Patna airport recorded the highest passenger growth at 21.5%, with other non-metro airports like Indore, Varanasi, Guwahati, and Goa Mopa also seeing double-digit growth.
The government aims to build 350 airports by 2047, with the current number being 162, and the regional connectivity scheme UDAN playing a key role in this growth.
- Who
- Airports Authority of India, aviation experts, government, regional airlines
- What
- Mixed trends in airport activity and passenger growth
- When
- April to November 2025
- Where
- India
- Why
- Viability of infrastructure, effectiveness of regional connectivity scheme, economic growth in non-metro cities
- Number of Airports with Low Activity
- 29
- Average Flights per Day (Low Activity Airports)
- 2 or fewer
- Time Period for Low Activity
- April to November 2025
- Airports with Zero Flights
- 5 (Tezpur, Azamgarh, Pakyong, Shravasti, Kanpur Civil)
- Shimla Flight Movements
- 385 (halved from previous year)
- Kushinagar Flight Movements
- 6 (down from 44 last year)
- Kota Flight Movements
- 30 (halved from previous year)
- Moradabad Flight Movements
- 6 (over 92% decrease from previous year)
- Ludhiana Average Flights per Day
- 1
- Top Passenger Growth Airports
- Patna, Indore, Varanasi, Guwahati, Goa Mopa
- Patna Passenger Growth
- 21.5%
- Delhi Passenger Growth
- Negative growth (due to runway closures)
- Chennai Passenger Growth
- Second-highest among metro airports
- Hyderabad Passenger Growth
- Highest among metro airports
- Current Number of Airports in India
- 162
- Government's Target for 2047
- 350 airports
