The airport handled 15 lakh passengers last year, the highest annual footfall since it began operations.
| Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO
The Kannur International Airport handled 15 lakh passengers in 2025, the highest annual footfall since the airport began operations, the airport authorities said. The previous record was 14.7 lakh passengers in 2019.
Passenger traffic grew by 16% compared to the previous year and was 3% higher than the pre-COVID peak of 2019, indicating sustained recovery and growth. The first four months of 2025 also figured among the top ten highest monthly passenger footfalls recorded at the airport.
International travel remained the main driver with 10.51 lakh passengers, a 15% increase over the previous year. Domestic traffic rose by 21% to 4.58 lakh passengers. Abu Dhabi, Doha, Dubai, Sharjah, and Bengaluru were the busiest routes, followed by Muscat, Mumbai, and Delhi. Air Indian Express and IndiGo together accounted for the entire passenger traffic, with shares of 53% and 47% respectively.
Kannur International Airport Limited also posted significant financial growth, reporting a 23% increase over the previous financial year. The airport has been operating at an operational profit for the past six months, with revenues covering both operation and finance costs.
The airport authorities said Air India Express was expected to reinstate cancelled services during the summer schedule from April, and the proposed operations by Fly 91 and Air Kerala are expected to further strengthen connectivity from Kannur.
The construction of Category 1 approach lighting system is scheduled to begin this year, while work on the solar power plant is in its final stage, the authorities added.
Published – January 12, 2026 10:31 pm IST
