Mangaluru: International flights from Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) have been significantly affected due to the ongoing West Asia war.According to available data, IndiGo cancelled 100 international flights between Feb 28 and March 31. This included 49 arrivals and 51 departures. Air India Express (AIX), which operates a substantial number of Gulf-bound flights from Mangaluru, reported a much higher number of cancellations. The airline cancelled 344 international flights during the same period, including 170 arrivals and 174 departures. In the winter schedule of 2025-26, flights were operated to Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait, Dammam, Bahrain, Doha and Jeddah. According to a source, since the start of the summer schedule from March 29, flights have been operated only to Jeddah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. MIA saw a total of nine international departures and 12 arrivals from March 29 to April 6 — all operated by AIX. Before the onset of the West Asia crisis, MIA witnessed steady month-on-month growth in both passenger traffic and air traffic movements (ATMs). The airport recorded its highest-ever monthly passenger traffic in Jan this year, handling a total of 2,45,708 passengers. Of these, 1,63,966 were domestic travellers, while 81,742 were international passengers. In terms of flight activity, however, the peak was registered last Oct, when MIA handled a record 1,641 ATMs. This included 1,240 domestic movements, 379 international operations and 22 general aviation movements. “The West Asia crisis has disrupted the global travel industry. The impact is clearly visible at MIA, where daily passenger numbers have dropped sharply from around 9,000 to nearly 5,000. What makes this decline more striking is that MIA was on a steady growth path since its commercial operations began on Oct 31, 2020,” a source said. Vathika Pai, proprietor of Vathika International Travels, said the ongoing West Asia turmoil has significantly impacted the tourism industry. “We have seen cancellations for destinations such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Typically, demand for UAE tours tends to dip during April and May due to the onset of summer, but the current situation has further aggravated the decline,” she said. However, she noted that there is still steady demand for destinations such as Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. “Despite this, there is a clear dent in overall travel sentiment, as many people are hesitant to opt for international travel amid the crisis,” she added.
