The history of aviation has been a quite long journey from the first airplane by the Wright brothers to the commercialization of luxurious charted planes & airports. Now in the era of globalization & digitalization, booking last minute flights to India is just a click away.
The first airplane takeoff and landing places were grassy pastures. The plane could approach at any angle that gave a good wind direction. The dirt-only field was a little improvement since it reduced the drag caused by grass. However, they only worked well in dry situations. Later, concrete surfaces would allow landings to rain or shine, day or night.
In 1912, the first domestic aviation route between Delhi and Karachi was established in India. Since those early days, civil aviation in India has grown rapidly, with changes in carriers, operating procedures, and ground infrastructure. Indian airports, which were not considered to be of global standards only a few decades ago, have dramatically improved, with as many as three Indian airports being named among the finest in the world. After the United States and China, India has the world’s third-largest domestic civil aviation market. It has 449 airports in total providing services of last minute flights to India. Learn about some of India’s top airports right here.
- Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi
Delhi Airport (IATA: DEL, ICAO: VIDP), popularly known as Indira Gandhi International Airport and IGI Airport, is the city of New Delhi’s only airport. In terms of passenger and cargo traffic, the airport is the busiest in India for passengers all over the world especially the maximum number of American visitors coming by cheap flights from US to Delhi. Indira Gandhi International Airport handled 67,301,016 passengers in 2019. Delhi Airport handled 28,500,545 passengers in 2020, a significant decline caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The airport serves as a significant international travel hub, and its new look includes shopping plazas, passenger lounges, retail stores, and food courts. The Airport Council International named the airport the fourth greatest in the world.
Airport code: DEL
No. of terminals: 3
Runways: 3
Passenger Traffic (FY 2021-2022): 39.3 million
Aircraft movements (FY 2021-2022): 0.32 million
- Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (IATA: BOM, ICAO: VABB) is an international airport servicing Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). It is the country’s second busiest airport in terms of total and international passenger traffic especially American visitors arriving by direct flights to Mumbai from USA, and was the 14th busiest airport in Asia and the 41st busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic in the calendar year 2019. In 2018, it had 49.8 million passengers. When comes to freight traffic, it is also the second busiest airport. In March 2017, it surpassed London’s Gatwick Airport as the busiest single-runway airport in the world. This was later exceeded by Gatwick Airport at the end of 2019 due to a drop in passenger counts in Mumbai.
Airport code: BOM
No. of terminals: 2
Runways: 2
Passenger Traffic (FY 2021-2022): 21.8 million
Aircraft movements (FY 2021-2022): 0.19 million
- Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru
A popular travel destination for travelers especially American visitors coming to explore this amazing IT & cultural hub known as the silicon valley of India by direct flight to Bangalore from USA. Kempegowda International Airport (IATA: BLR, ICAO: VOBL) serves Bangalore, the state capital of Karnataka, India. It is located around 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of the city, in the Devanahalli neighborhood, on 4,000 acres (1,600 hectares). Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL), a public-private partnership, owns and operates the airport. The airport opened in May 2008 as a replacement for rising congestion at HAL Airport, the city’s previous principal commercial airport. It is named after Bangalore’s founder, Kempe Gowda I. Kempegowda International Airport, created by CleanMax Solar, became Karnataka’s first solar-powered airport. Kempegowda International Airport is India’s third busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic, air traffic movements, and domestic and total cargo handled, behind only Delhi and Mumbai, and the 29th busiest airport in Asia.
Airport code: BLR
No. of terminals: 1
Runway: 2
Passenger Traffic (FY 2021-2022): 16.2 million
Aircraft movements (FY 2021-2022): 0.15 million
- Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad
Hyderabad boasts a varied blend of majestic monuments, places, cuisines & festivities making it intriguing to explore for tourists all around the world, particularly Americans who land at the airport with cheap flights from Hyderabad to USA. Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) (IATA: HYD, ICAO: VOHS) is an international airport serving Hyderabad, the capital of the Indian state of Telangana. It is located near Shamshabad, about 24 kilometers (15 miles) south of Hyderabad. It opened on March 23, 2008, to replace Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad’s lone civilian airport. It was named after Rajiv Gandhi, India’s previous Prime Minister. It is India’s largest airport by area, covering 5,495 acres (2,224 hectares). It was also named one of the top ten airports in the world by AirHelp. In terms of passenger traffic, it is India’s fourth busiest airport.
Airport code: HYD
No. of terminals: 1
Runway: 2
Passenger Traffic (FY 2021-2022): 12.4 million
Aircraft movements (FY 2021-2022): 0.11 million
- Netaji Subash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata
Kolkata is known for its colonial architecture, museums, art galleries, traditional Bengali cuisines, temples, music, and theatre making it a popular hotspot for tourists all around the world coming by cheap flight tickets to Kolkata. It combines traditional and contemporary elements. It is well-known for its theatre and cinema. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (IATA: CCU, ICAO: VECC) is an international airport in Kolkata, West Bengal, India that serves the Kolkata Metropolitan Area and serves as the aviation center for all of eastern and northeastern India. It is around 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from the city center. Locally, the airport was known as Kolkata Airport and Dum Dum Airport before being renamed after Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, a significant leader of India’s independence fight, in 1995. Kolkata Airport is one of India’s oldest, being established in 1924. The Airport Council International awarded Kolkata Airport the title of Best Improved Airport in the Asia-Pacific area in 2014 and 2015. Airports Council International has named the airport the best in Asia-Pacific in terms of hygiene in 2020.
Airport code: CCU
No. of terminals: 2
Runways: 2
Passenger Traffic (FY 2021-2022): 12.4 million
Aircraft movements (FY 2021-2022): 0.11 million
Whatever your reason of visit Incredible India, have a look at these amazing world-class facilities at Indian airports with modern architecture & globe connectivity all around the world before your last minute flights to India services.
So, to summarise, here are the top airports in India that survived the pandemic and are on the mend, assisting in the preparation of the country’s aviation for post-pandemic travel.
