MANGALURU: The Mangaluru International Airport has handled the highest-ever number of passengers in December 2023, hosting 2.03 lakh travellers in a month since the commercial operation of the airport began on October 31, 2020, the MIA said.

The airport also handled a record 7,548 passengers in a single day on December 31, bettering the previous mark of 7,468 passengers handled on November 25.

Contributing to the record 2.03 lakh passenger mark is the fact that MIA clocked 12 days in December when it handled 7,000 plus passengers with the 7,548 passengers handled on New Year's Eve being the highest, a release from MIA said.

The bulk of this 7,000 plus passenger travel came during the weekends-- December 9-10, 16-17, 23-25 and 30-31.

The airport recorded footfalls of 7,089, 7,220 and 7,034 respectively in the three days up to Christmas.

The airport in November 2023 handled 1.78 lakh passengers, which is now the best since the commercial operation date (COD).

"The rising numbers is a clear indicator that aviation travel, domestically and internationally, is on the upswing and MIA is proud to play its role in this growth. The airlines--Air India, Air India Express and IndiGo too, are playing their roles in this resurgence," the release said.

The general increase in air traffic movements (ATMs) has been observed since October 29, 2023, when the winter schedule came into effect.

The MIA recorded 1,388 ATMs in December 2023 including 1,096 domestic movements.

The uptick in business and leisure travel has contributed to the steadily increasing footfalls at the airport, which currently provides connectivity to nine domestic and seven international destinations respectively, the release said.