T’puram: Passenger traffic at Thiruvananthapuram airport has begun to recover after dipping sharply in March following the West Asia crisis, though overall numbers remain below last year’s levels.The airport handled a total of 3,32,523 passengers in April, 3,94,479 in May and 3,52,000 in June, up from 2,93,524 passengers in March. The conflict involving Israel, the US and Iran disrupted international flight schedules and also affected passenger movement on domestic routes.While passenger volumes typically vary from month to month due to seasonal travel patterns, the increase since March indicates that travel demand is gradually recovering.Travel and tourism industry sources said domestic travel has picked up, but foreign tourist arrivals have yet to fully recover.Many European tourists travelling to Kerala transit through Middle East hubs and were affected by the disruption. The crisis also prompted many NRIs to cancel or postpone their holiday travel to the state. Despite the recovery, passenger traffic remains below last year’s levels. International passenger traffic fell 38% year-on-year in March, industry sources said.Overall passenger traffic, however, continues to lag behind 2025 levels. Total passenger numbers were 20% lower in April and 11% lower in May compared to the corresponding months last year, despite the summer vacation season, which typically boosts domestic travel.M K Ajith Kumar of the India Tourism Forum said the airport should increase domestic connectivity after assessing demand on underserved routes.“There should be more flights to the eastern sector and direct services to Jammu for tourists. On the international side, more flights to the Maldives should also be introduced,” he said.
