Reduced flight frequency drops passenger load by 15%

Hubballi: The passenger footfall at Hubballi Airport has declined steadily over the past three months following the reduction in flight frequency to Mumbai and New Delhi from Hubballi. Compared to June, the number of passengers arriving at and departing from the airport fell by 15% in August.Two airlines – IndiGo and Fly91- have been operating direct flights from Hubballi to Bengaluru, Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad and Pune. IndiGo, which is the bigger operator, flies Airbus A320 to Mumbai and New Delhi.Hubballi-Mumbai was one of the busiest routes for Indigo, and it used to run daily flights with more than 90% load. After Mumbai got its second airport, Indigo shifted its Hubballi flight to Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) in March. As a result, the airline began to get fewer passengers, and its load reduced to 50%.For various reasons, IndiGo had temporarily reduced scheduled trips to Delhi and Navi Mumbai from Hubballi beginning July 1.Second FTO set to take off at Hubballi AirportThe Hubballi Airport recorded a contraction in both passenger volume and flight operations between June and August.According to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the airport handled 33,972 passengers and 473 air traffic movements (ATMs) in June. However, in August the number of passengers fell to 28,968 and the ATMs to 441. Thus, passenger numbers fell by about 15%, while flights were reduced by 8% when compared to August statistics with those of June.Hubballi Airport Director Rupesh Kumar said that New Delhi and Mumbai are important destinations for Hubballi passengers.The shifting of the Mumbai flight to Navi Mumbai and the reduction of flights to Delhi and Navi Mumbai from Hubballi have impacted passenger traffic, he said.He also noted it is a common trend that during the monsoon season, the passenger traffic will reduce a bit due to inclement weather conditions and other factors. However, there is no decline in the number of passengers from Hubballi to Bengaluru and Hyderabad, which have more than two flights per day.“From September 1, IndiGo reintroduced Mumbai flights daily. The New Delhi flight will also be a daily flight from October 1. Hence, from September, the number of passengers will increase,” the director added.It can be noted that May was a good month for the Hubballi Airport in terms of passenger traffic and ATMs, as the number of passengers was 37,699 and the number of ATMs was 573.According to an airport officer, May is the peak month of summer holidays, and a large number of tourists travel to various destinations. Hence, May had the highest number of passengers compared to any other month at Hubballi Airport.Service availed in various months.

Source: Deccan Herald