Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, it seems, is foreigners’ favourite! The IGI airport in New Delhi continues to be foreign travellers’ most preferred gateway into India, accounting for almost 50% of the total number of foreign passengers entering the country, according to a ToI report. As per the latest International Air Transport Association (IATA)-IS Data for last month, quoted in the report, the national capital alone accounts for around 46% of the total number of foreign tourists who entered the country and took an e-Tourist Visa (E-TV)- almost three times more than the next destination, which is Mumbai, accounting for 16.8% foreign passengers, the report stated.
Other than IGI airport in India, some airports attracting foreign tourists are the Dabolim Airport in Goa (9.5%) followed by the Chennai Airport (5.8%) and the Bengaluru airport (5.2%). At present, Delhi’s IGI airport handles as many as 64 airlines, out of which 53 are foreign carriers. Also, the airport connects 141 destinations, out of which 73 are international locations.
According to the IATA data, the Delhi airport alone offers 27% of the total international departing seats from the country and close to 40% of the total international departing seats from the six metro cities of India. Similarly, within the country, it offers 20% of all departing domestic seats. A DIAL spokesperson was quoted in the report saying that the IGI airport, over a period of time, has been able to expand its network globally. In order to expand its reach all across the globe, the airport has been closely working with all Indian as well as foreign carriers and has been successfully able to establish the national capital as a true gateway to India. IGI airport is the country’s largest and busiest airport, both in terms of passenger and cargo movement, the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson further stated that at present, the airport provides non-stop connectivity to 26 destinations in Asia, 17 destinations in Europe, 14 destinations in the Middle East, 7 destinations in North America and 2 destinations each in Africa and Australia. He further added that the large connectivity with a balanced as well as unique mix of passenger flow to all the continents has helped the capital city gain the larger share of foreign tourist arrival into the country.
Incidentally, Delhi’s IGI airport and Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji airport have been adjudged the best airports internationally this year.