Ahmedabad: Passenger traffic at Ahmedabad airport declined for the second consecutive month in July, with passenger movement falling 9.7% year on year to 9.1 lakh. The decline followed a 6.8% fall in June, when the airport handled 10.27 lakh passengers against 11.01 lakh in the same month last year.The July decline was sharper in international traffic — international passenger movement fell 16% to 1.68 lakh from 2 lakh a year earlier. Domestic traffic declined 8.1% to 7.47 lakh from 8.13 lakh.The trend also coincided with a reduction in aircraft movements. Ahmedabad recorded 6,675 aircraft movements in July, down 12.2% from 7,605 in July 2025. In June, aircraft movements fell 13% year on year to 7,562.Travel trade sources attributed the softer demand to weak travel sentiment and the seasonal lean period. June, July and Aug are generally considered lean months for airline traffic. Except for long-weekend travel, overall numbers have dropped this time.“An increase in ATF prices and consequent airfares amid weakening supply has also led to a marked decline in corporate travel which is also a key reason for the decline in international and domestic passenger footfall,” said a source from the aviation sector.Ahmedabad had recorded passenger growth in April and May before the decline began. Passenger traffic rose 9.4% in April and 1.7% in May, before falling in June and July. International traffic has faced additional pressure from disruptions to flight operations linked to West Asian geopolitical tensions.“Travel sentiment has been poor through the lean season, and this is reflected in passenger movement. Higher airfares and reduced flight frequencies have also made travellers more cautious about discretionary trips. Even Diwali inquiries have not picked up yet in the way we normally expect at this stage. We expect demand to improve as the festive season approaches, but the market is currently subdued,” said Ankit Bajaj, a travel expert based in Ahmedabad.The fall in frequencies has also affected available capacity from Ahmedabad. Industry data indicated a reduction of 111 weekly domestic flights from the airport in June compared to the same period last year.
