Ahmedabad: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport is set for a robust summer schedule, with a sharp expansion in international connectivity and cargo operations, indicating sustained growth in passenger and freight traffic. International flight movements are slated to rise by 25%, according to airport sources. This significantly outpaces the 6% increase in domestic operations, while cargo movements are expected to rise by 30%.The expansion is being driven by a mix of new airline entries and frequency additions. New international entrants such as SriLankan Airlines and FitsAir will operate services to Colombo, while Azerbaijan Airlines is set to launch flights to Baku. On the domestic front, connectivity will see incremental growth with new and proposed routes, including Hisar in Haryana and Jalgaon in Maharashtra.The airport will handle around 1,700 weekly domestic departures and about 380 international departures, alongside 45 weekly cargo departures, up from 36 earlier. With the expanded schedule, the total number of airlines operating from Ahmedabad will rise to 31, including 23 international carriers, connecting the city to 30 domestic and 19 international destinations.Airlines are also ramping up frequencies across key sectors. “IndiGo is increasing services to Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Jaipur and Pune, while adding Nanded to its network. SpiceJet is enhancing frequencies on routes such as Kolkata, Pune, Hyderabad and Chandigarh. Regional carriers are expanding their footprint as well, with Alliance Air planning operations to Hisar and Jalgaon, and Star Air set to connect Ahmedabad with Diu and Nanded,” sources informed TOI.International connectivity is gathering pace through both new destinations and additional frequencies. IndiGo is set to launch flights to Doha and Phuket, while Colombo, a completely new destination, will be served by multiple carriers. SpiceJet is preparing to start services to Jeddah and add frequencies on the existing Najaf route. Meanwhile, Air India is expected to further strengthen its Ahmedabad-London Gatwick service, currently operating five times a week.Interestingly, cargo traffic is emerging as a key growth driver, with a 30% rise in movements. The airport currently handles cargo operations linked to major global and domestic operators, including Qatar Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Emirates and Blue Dart Aviation.
