Thiruvananthapuram: The premier international airport of the State here has registered a 57 per cent growth in aircraft movement in the domestic and international sector during the month of May 2006 compared to the same period last year.

In the international sector, Thiruvananthapuram airport witnessed 810 aircraft movement in May 2006, compared to 645 during the same month last year.

The airport has registered 25.6 per cent growth in aircraft movement, according to the figures made available by the Airports Authority of India. The daily international flights to and from the international airport have also gone up to 27-28.

Airport Director K. Natarajan told The Hindu that passenger movement through the airport was likely to touch 2 million by the year-end going by the current growth figures.

Already, two new domestic carriers have been granted clearance by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to operate to the city.

The airport witnessed as many as 595 aircraft movement in the domestic sector during the month of May 2006 compared to the 250 during the same period last year. The growth in movement in the domestic sector is 138 per cent.

In the case of the passenger traffic, the airport registered a growth of 34.6 per cent during the month of May 2006 compared to the same period last year.

As many as 1.49 lakh passengers, both domestic and international, used the airport during the month of May 2006. In May 2005, this number was 1.10 lakh.

The increase in frequency of flights and arrival of low-cost carriers and better connectivity from the city to other metros has resulted in the growth of passenger traffic from the airport, it has been pointed out.

The increase in passenger traffic in the domestic sector has forced the Airports Authority of India to increase the security-hold area of the domestic terminal and to provide more facilities for the passengers.

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