Nedumbassery: Despite the service disruptions caused by operational constraints of certain airlines as well as the ongoing geopolitical issues in the Middle East, Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) has crossed the 10 million passenger mark yet again, making it the fourth consecutive financial year of double-digit million passenger handling.
During the financial year 2025-26, CIAL handled a total of 1,14,42,583 passengers and recorded 73,134 aircraft movements. Adding to the strong annual performance, May 2025 emerged as the busiest month of the financial year with a total passenger traffic of 11,07,184. Of the total passengers handled during 2025-26, international passengers accounted for 54,01,939 while domestic passenger traffic stood at 60,40,644. In terms of aircraft movements, CIAL recorded 31,505 international aircraft movements and 41,629 domestic aircraft movements during the period, reflecting balanced growth across both domestic and international sectors.
Despite challenges arising from certain operational constraints faced by airlines during the latter part of the year 2025, as well as temporary disruptions in the international aviation sector linked to geopolitical developments in the Middle East region during February–March, CIAL registered a healthy passenger growth of 2.2 per cent during 2025-26. The consistent rise in passenger traffic underlines the growing preference for CIAL among travellers and airlines alike. The airport maintained stable passenger flow throughout the year, with multiple months recording exceptionally high traffic volumes, demonstrating its operational capability to efficiently manage increasing demand across all seasons.
S Suhas IAS, MD of CIAL, said that the airport’s sustained growth has been driven by continuous improvements in infrastructure, passenger facilitation and operational efficiency under the CIAL 2.0 transformation initiative. He noted that the modernisation programmes implemented have significantly enhanced passenger convenience through technology-enabled services and faster processing systems, helping CIAL maintain high standards in service delivery while accommodating rising passenger volumes. The introduction of full-body scanners on a trial basis has further enhanced aviation security standards and improved passenger convenience through minimal physical screening procedures.