Hyderabad: RGIA, most favoured airport in South Central India

Hyderabad: The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad is the most favoured airport in South Central India since the post-pandemic. According to the GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), with growing development, RGIA is envisioned to be a major travel hub for people travelling from southern and central India. As a preferred and largest transit hub, it offers convenient proximity for passengers originating from nearby cities. Airlines can connect to any part of the country within a flying time of two hours.

It is said that "Hyderabad is the gateway to one of the fastest- growing States in the region, resulting in an ever-growing appetite for travel. Internationally, airlines can connect to South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East within a flying time of four hours. Since the domestic destinations can be reached within two hours of flying time, domestic traffic from India and transfer traffic from South Asia, the Southeast Asia and Middle East regions can support the traffic requirement for long haul flights to the US, Europe and Australia," it said. "There is a significant rise in the transfer traffic at the airport, which has risen from nine percent in 2015 to 26 percent in 2022. It is the only airport where all 10 domestic airlines fly from. Following the pandemic, the Hyderabad airport recovered faster than all other Metro airports in India."

There has been an increase in the number of domestic destinations reached in the post-pandemic times. During pre-pandemic RGIA was connected to 55 domestic airports. It is now connected to 70 destinations. Hyderabad has the right mix of passenger traffic. Along with MNCs and corporates, Hyderabad has strong VFR (Visiting Friends and Relatives), tourists, MSME (Micro Small and Medium Enterprises), and student traffic," the GHIAL said. In the last two years, these segments have helped the airport recover faster than any other Metro airport in India. We have witnessed the recovery at a very consistent pace.