Team Goemkarponn
DABOLIM: Goa’s air passenger traffic recorded a sharp decline of nearly 27 per cent between January and April 2026, according to data released by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
The data shows that total passenger traffic in Goa dropped from 11.82 lakh passengers in January 2026 to 8.61 lakh passengers in April 2026, marking a decline of over 3.21 lakh travellers within three months.
The fall has been attributed largely to the end of the peak winter tourism and international charter season, along with reduced domestic travel demand and the impact of ongoing geopolitical tensions on international travel sentiment.
In January 2026, Goa recorded a total of 11,82,316 air passengers, including 86,491 international travellers and approximately 10.95 lakh domestic passengers. By April, total passenger traffic declined to 8,61,254, comprising 16,216 international passengers and around 8.45 lakh domestic travellers.
International passenger traffic witnessed the steepest fall during the period. The number of international travellers reduced from 86,491 in January to just 16,216 in April, reflecting a decline of over 81 per cent following the conclusion of the charter tourism season.
Domestic passenger traffic also registered a significant drop, decreasing by nearly 2.5 lakh passengers between January and April.
Goa’s Dabolim Airport has also slipped out of the list of India’s top 10 busiest airports in terms of domestic passenger traffic for April 2026 after briefly featuring in the rankings during March.
According to data released by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Dabolim Airport had handled 5,08,785 domestic passengers in March 2026, securing a place among the country’s top 10 busiest airports.
However, Goa failed to retain its position in April as passenger traffic declined further, allowing Guwahati Airport to enter the top 10 rankings with 5,24,002 domestic passengers.
Major metro airports including Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi continued to dominate the rankings with the highest passenger movement across the country.
Aircraft movements at Goa’s airports also declined during the same period. Total aircraft movements reduced from 7,425 in January to 5,700 in April, while international aircraft movements fell sharply from 489 to 110.
Despite the decline, Goa continued to remain among the top 10 aviation markets in the country in April 2026 based on cumulative passenger traffic from both airports, underlining the state’s continued importance as a major tourism and travel destination.
