Chennai airport may have fallen to fourth place in international passenger traffic. But little by little efforts are being made to connect more destinations.
In what could be very beneficial for air travelers, direct flights from Chennai to newer destinations including Phuket, Brunei, Penang and Mauritius have been added this year. Direct flights to Hong Kong have resumed from Chennai airport after a long pause and additional flights to Bangkok have started this year. But passengers and travel agents say that for Chennai airport to return to third place, it should also have direct connectivity to destinations in the Far East and West. November data shows that in international passenger traffic there was a 1% decline at the Chennai airport.
The airport served 4,74,623 passengers in November 2024, compared to 4,79,390 in the same period of the previous year. While the focus should be on improving airport infrastructure, direct flight services also deserve attention.
Convenience matters
Vidyasagar J., a frequent traveler, says that when a traveler plans a vacation, he first considers how convenient the flights are. When people plan their vacations, they choose destinations that have direct flights because they want to save travel time. “Flying to Australia has been on my bucket list. But we don’t have a direct flight. Now we have to travel through Singapore or Kuala Lumpur. “Bangalore has been lucky and has Qantas flights to Sydney,” he points out.
He noted that thousands of people fly to the United States from Chennai. “Those who work there are not the only ones who fly. Families often visit relatives and would like to have direct flights. My in-laws travel to San Francisco and for older people who visit their children it would be convenient to have direct flights to the United States,” he says.
Travel agents say the introduction of direct flights to Vietnam, Japan, the United States and Australia could give a boost to the Chennai airport.
More travel time
T. Devaki, president of the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), says the new flights to destinations like Phuket, Penang and Brunei are helpful as tourists are interested in traveling to these destinations. “Southeast Asia has always been a favorite for tourists, largely due to its proximity and affordability. We should consider direct flights to Vietnam. Many people are attracted to Vietnam because they can cover both Vietnam and Cambodia. Now they travel through Singapore. This means more travel time and more costs,” he says.
As for business travelers, Ms. Devaki believes that direct flights to Guangzhou and Tokyo will be especially useful and will have a good occupancy factor. “Before the COVID-19 pandemic, we had direct flights to Japan. But it is unfortunate that these services have not resumed yet,” he says.
S. Jeyasekaran, honorary treasurer of TAAI southern chapter, says direct flights to the Philippines and Spain from Chennai will also prove beneficial for travellers. The other destinations that are becoming more popular among tourists from Chennai are Bali and Azerbaijan.
“If the government takes the initiative, commuters from Chennai will have a huge advantage. Private airports may have new flights. If there is a push from the state and central governments, Chennai airport will once again be on the radar as one of the most popular airports and passenger traffic will increase. We (the travel agents) have also made a request to the Government in this regard,” he adds.
the shock absorber
Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials say that when the phase-II modernization work is completed, additional facilities will be set up which will provide some relief. They also note that they have contacted some of the airlines and the government for more connectivity. “We are certainly eager to establish more connectivity from our airport and we are working towards it. But it depends on the government. Agreements must be signed between two countries for connectivity. Furthermore, it is clearly necessary to reduce VAT on fuel for aviation turbines. This increases the expense of an airline, and airlines look at VAT before connecting new destinations,” says an official.
Published – December 31, 2024 10:32 pm IST
