Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Mopa Airport witnessed a sharp 22.8% year-on-year decline in passenger traffic in August, making Goa one of the major weak spots in GMR Airports’ Indian airport portfolio during the month.
The steep fall at Mopa came even as GMR Airports reported a marginal 0.9% increase in overall passenger traffic across its consolidated portfolio, excluding Cebu. The operator handled 9.44 million passengers during August.
The Goa airport’s performance contrasted with that of GMR’s largest facility, Delhi Airport, which registered 2.7% growth during the month. Hyderabad Airport, however, also reported a significant 11.5% drop in passenger traffic.
Delhi handled 6.08 million passengers in August and continued to account for the bulk of GMR’s passenger volumes. The airport added about 1.6 lakh passengers compared with August last year.
In contrast, the decline at Hyderabad resulted in the loss of nearly 2.85 lakh passengers over the same period, while Mopa recorded a 22.8% contraction.
GMR’s consolidated traffic comprised approximately 7.1 million domestic and 2.4 million international passengers. Domestic volumes increased 1.1%, whereas international passenger traffic edged up by only 0.5%.
The company said international traffic was affected by flight disruptions arising from geopolitical developments in West Asia.
The August numbers also saw a new airport enter GMR’s portfolio, with Bhogapuram Airport contributing 1,05,171 passengers after commencing commercial operations midway through the month.
Nagpur Airport, where GMR took over operations on June 25, handled around 2.2 lakh passengers in August, registering a 5.9% decline. Aircraft movements at the airport, however, increased 13.3% to 1,969.
GMR’s April-August figures for Nagpur show passenger traffic rising 5.2%, with aircraft movements up 7.8%. The company has clarified that these figures are provided for reference since it assumed operational control only during the current financial year.
The weaker trend was not restricted to India. GMR’s Medan Airport in Indonesia handled 5,48,093 passengers in August, down 4.8%. Passenger traffic at the airport during April-August was down 10%, with the company citing aircraft availability issues linked to maintenance-related groundings.
Cebu Airport in the Philippines, which GMR has divested, recorded 9,03,322 passengers in August, a 4.1% decline. GMR will continue providing technical services at the airport until December.
