Surat: International passenger traffic at Surat International Airport witnessed a sharp decline in April following the suspension of key overseas flight services to Sharjah, Dubai and Bangkok amid global geopolitical tensions.

According to airport data, only 4,114 international passengers travelled through Surat Airport during April, marking the lowest monthly international passenger count in the past year.

Before the suspension of services, the airport operated three weekly flights to Sharjah, 11 weekly flights to Dubai and four weekly flights to Bangkok. The Sharjah service, which was originally scheduled to be discontinued at the end of March, was suspended earlier at the end of February due to prevailing global circumstances. Similarly, two Dubai flights were withdrawn, while the Bangkok service was suspended about a fortnight into April.

As a result, the international passenger traffic recorded during April was largely driven by the Surat–Bangkok–Surat service, which operated for part of the month before being discontinued.

The decline is significant when compared with January this year, when 23,660 international passengers travelled through Surat Airport.

In contrast, domestic passenger traffic remained stable. During April, Surat Airport handled 1,32,364 domestic passengers, about 1,000 more than in March, indicating continued growth in domestic air travel despite the downturn in international operations. DeshGujarat