Chennai Airport is facing the prospect of slipping further in India’s aviation rankings as Kolkata steadily closes the gap in passenger traffic and aircraft movements. Once the country’s third-busiest airport after Delhi and Mumbai, Chennai has already fallen behind Bengaluru and Hyderabad in recent years and is now at risk of losing its fifth position, as reported in Times of India.
According to Airports Authority of India (AAI) traffic statistics for May 2026, Chennai handled 1.90 million passengers during the month, only around 34,000 more than Kolkata, which recorded 1.87 million passengers. In terms of aircraft movements, Chennai recorded 13,025 flights, while Kolkata handled 12,080, leaving a difference of just 945 movements.
Although Chennai reclaimed the fifth position from Kolkata in May after briefly dropping to sixth place in April, the margin remains narrow. Kolkata has continued to register stronger growth, particularly in domestic traffic.
Domestic passenger traffic at Chennai declined by 6.2% year-on-year, falling from 1.485 million passengers in May 2025 to 1.393 million in May 2026. In contrast, Kolkata’s domestic passenger traffic increased by 4%, rising from 1.596 million to 1.659 million during the same period.
The gap between Chennai and Hyderabad has also widened considerably. Hyderabad handled 2.55 million passengers in May 2026, significantly ahead of Chennai’s 1.90 million. Hyderabad also recorded 17,306 aircraft movements compared to Chennai’s 13,025. In domestic traffic alone, Hyderabad handled more than 2.13 million passengers during the month, substantially higher than Chennai’s 1.39 million.
Industry observers attribute Chennai Airport’s declining position to multiple operational challenges. These include airlines suspending services on several domestic and international routes, inadequate passenger amenities, and capacity constraints caused by the airport’s intersecting runway configuration. The suspension of operations by airlines such as Air India on certain routes following the West Asian crisis and reduced operations by SpiceJet have also contributed to lower traffic, while no major new airlines have expanded services from Chennai to offset the decline.
Frequent flyers and aviation stakeholders have also pointed to the need for a second airport to meet the city’s growing aviation demand. They argue that Chennai Airport has reached its operational limits and cannot accommodate significantly more flights under its present runway layout. The uncertainty surrounding the proposed Parandur airport project has further delayed plans to augment Chennai’s aviation capacity.
Airport authorities, however, maintain that operational efficiency is expected to improve once ongoing infrastructure projects, including the construction of new taxiways and the integrated terminal, are completed.
Subscribe to our channels on WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram and YouTube to get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.
