Mumbai airport enters the big league with Heathrow, JFK, Dubai
Picture of Mumbai’s International Airport
Mumbai Airport recently crossed yet another milestone.
In the fiscal year 2015-2016, Mumbai Airport handled a total of 41.67 million passengers – an increase of over 14 percent compared to the 36.6 million passengers it handled in the previous year. But the milestone isn’t the growth growth percentage. It’s the magical ’40 million’ number.
The Airports Council International segregates airports on the basis of their passenger traffic. The segregation starts with airports handling over 2 million passengers a year and ends with those handling over 40 million.
By crossing the 40 million mark in 2015, Mumbai Airport has entered the ‘big league’ and will henceforth be classified in the same category as New York’s JFK, London’s Heathrow, Dubai International Airport etc. It will even go head to head with the world’s elite for rewards and recognition.
On the flipside, the steady rise in passenger traffic has became a cause of concern for airport authorities who are operating at peak capacity. Since the first terminal of the upcoming Navi Mumbai airport isn’t expected to become operational till 2019, and passenger traffic increasing by double digits every year, Mumbai airport’s demand will soon outstrip the supply. The result, as we all know, would be a sizable increase in travel costs.
