Bengaluru Airport Overtakes Mumbai in Domestic Passenger Traffic for First Time

Bengaluru airport has moved ahead of Mumbai airport in India’s domestic passenger rankings, according to Airport Authority of India data for April. Bengaluru airport handled more domestic travellers than Mumbai airport for the month, helped by recent expansion, while Mumbai airport saw part of its traffic move to Navi Mumbai airport.

The latest statistics show that Bengaluru airport processed 3.17 million domestic passengers in April, compared with 2.89 million at Mumbai airport. Bengaluru airport’s domestic numbers were almost flat, slipping only 0.2 per cent year-on-year, while Mumbai airport recorded a 12.1 per cent decline in domestic passenger traffic over the same period.

Bengaluru airport and Mumbai airport domestic passenger traffic trends

Despite losing the second spot in domestic rankings, Mumbai airport still stays ahead of Bengaluru airport on total passenger counts because of a stronger international network. However, the shift of flights to Navi Mumbai airport has reduced Mumbai airport’s domestic share, even though both airports continue to serve the wider Mumbai region together.

Navi Mumbai airport, which began passenger operations in December, has expanded fast in the summer schedule. Domestic flight movements there have grown three times, with airlines such as IndiGo moving some services from Mumbai airport. Routes to Ayodhya, Agra, Hindon, Jabalpur and Tirupati now operate only from Navi Mumbai airport.

Bengaluru airport and Mumbai airport capacity and growth

Last month, Navi Mumbai airport handled 5.24 lakh passengers, a 2.3 times increase compared with March, making it the tenth busiest Indian airport for domestic traffic. Meanwhile, domestic aircraft movements at Mumbai airport in April were 3.3 per cent lower than a year earlier, reflecting both capacity limits and the traffic shift.

Infrastructure has played a major role in the diverging trends. Bengaluru airport added a second runway in 2019 and opened a second terminal in 2022. These additions gave Bengaluru airport room to add more domestic flights, while Mumbai airport continues to operate under tight capacity constraints due to space limitations.

An industry analyst noted that this domestic ranking change outside the pandemic period is historic, saying, "Covid-19 pandemic period was exceptional. If you exclude that, Bengaluru airport has beaten Mumbai in domestic traffic for the first time." The analyst pointed out that, during Covid-19, Mumbai airport had also slipped behind Bengaluru airport.

The same analyst highlighted airline strategies as another factor, stating, "Both Air India group and IndiGo have made Bengaluru their third hub. Infact, Bengaluru is IndiGo's second biggest hub after Delhi." According to the analyst, Bengaluru airport recorded faster domestic growth than both Delhi and Mumbai airports in FY25 and FY26.