Bhubaneswar: The Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) here has witnessed an upward trend in international passenger traffic during May 2018 compared to the corresponding period last year.
BPIA registered a 47.6 per cent year-on-year (YoY) increase in overseas passenger movement for May this year, an Airport Authority of India (AAI) report stated.
The number has brought a smile on the faces of the airport officials who said they are confident that the figure would soar further.
According to the report, the BPIA handled 10,789 passengers in May this year compared to 7,308 passengers during the same period last year.
The airport also handled more overseas flights during the period with the number going up from 36 in May last year to 89 the same month this year, registering a whopping 147.2 per cent YoY growth.
“In terms of international passenger movement, the number of travelers flying out of the state was higher than those flying in. The movement was majorly to Middle Eastern destinations. Also, it is due to the increased movement of flights that spurred the growth,” said BPIA Director Suresh Chandra Hota.
Presently, direct flights are available from Bhubaneswar to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Dubai.
Similarly, domestic passenger traffic and flight movements were on an upswing at the airport during the period.
In May 2017, the airport handled over 2,46,358 passengers and in May this year, the number went up to 3,49,292, registering an increase of 41.8 per cent.
With domestic and international passengers combined, the airport handled over 3,60,081 passengers in May this year compared to 2,53,666 during the same period last year.
In terms of domestic aircraft movements, the airport has witnessed a good growth during the period. It handled 2,486 flights in May this year against 1,505 last year.