Ayodhya Airport handled over 42,000 passengers in the first thirty days after the launch of commercial flights on January 6.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Ayodhya airport on December 30. Regular service began a week later with IndiGo’s Delhi-Ayodhya flight. Now the airport handles 11-12 departures daily connecting the temple town to Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, and other destinations.
“Air India Express launched Ayodhya as its 31st domestic destination connecting Bengaluru, Delhi, and Kolkata. We’ve observed good demand, especially inbound, from group travelers interested in pilgrimages and religious tours. The one-stop itineraries also continue to show steady demand, underscoring the destination’s cultural significance. We are committed to providing seamless travel experiences, and look forward to connecting people, culture and places, in line with our brand proposition.”
According to provisional data shared by the Airport Authority of India, the airport handled 42,341 passengers between January 6 and February 6. This included 22,546 passenger arrivals and 19,795 departures. This does not include data on non-scheduled flights, the maximum of which were seen on January 21 and 22, ahead of the consecration of Ram Mandir. February 5 was the busiest day at Ayodhya airport when it handled 3,151 passengers — the most in the first thirty days.
Airlines are reporting healthy occupancy, with seat loads of over 80 per cent to Ayodhya.
Promising market
Hotels, too, are doing brisk business. Cleartrip said the inauguration of Ram Mandir has significantly accelerated spiritual tourism, and the portal has been seeing an increase in bookings to all pilgrimage towns.
“Ayodhya is a promising market for Radisson Hotel Group. The response from guests in terms of demand has been strong, with consistent occupancy and positive feedback. Fuelled by heightened interest in the region, we can expect this demand to grow further,” said KB Kachru, Chairman Emeritus and Principal Advisor, Radisson Hotel Group, South Asia.
“We are seeing a strong interest in travel to Ayodhya across age groups from both metros and non-metros. Ayodhya will attract devotees from overseas too, and we expect it to become the next tourism hotspot,” said Jyoti Mayal, president of the Travel Agents Association of India.
Phase-I of Ayodhya airport has been built at a cost of ₹1,450 crore. The airport has eight parking bays capable of handling Airbus A320/Boeing 737 aircraft. It has a 6,500-square metre terminal, which can handle a million passengers annually.