Mumbai: Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport has overtaken Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in domestic passenger traffic for the month of April, emerging as India's second-busiest domestic airport. According to data from the Airports Authority of India, Bengaluru handled 3.28 million (32.8 lakh) domestic passengers, while Mumbai recorded 2.89 million (28.9 lakh), a gap of nearly 390,000 passengers.
Mumbai Retains Overall Second Place with International Traffic
When international traffic is included, Mumbai retains its overall second-place ranking. The airport handled approximately 4 million (40 lakh) total passengers in April, compared to Bengaluru's 3.68 million (36.8 lakh), reflecting Mumbai's significantly larger international catchment area. Delhi remained India's busiest airport by a wide margin across all metrics.
Shift Likely Permanent
The reversal in domestic rankings is not entirely unprecedented. During the Covid-disrupted years of 2020 and 2021, Bengaluru briefly surpassed Mumbai in certain months. However, the current shift is considered likely to be permanent. Mumbai's single-runway airport is slot-saturated, and incremental domestic growth from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) is now being absorbed by the newly operational Navi Mumbai International Airport.
Together, the two airports serving the MMR handled approximately 3.4 million (34 lakh) domestic passengers in April, marginally ahead of Bengaluru's 3.28 million (32.8 lakh). However, the gap is expected to widen in Bengaluru's favor as Navi Mumbai scales up independently.
Supply-Side Driver
An airline official explained, "The underlying driver is supply-side, not a demand reversal. Airlines continue to add frequencies more easily at Bengaluru, which has operated parallel runways since 2019, than at congested Mumbai." Mumbai's incremental domestic growth is now being channeled to Navi Mumbai International Airport, which began operations on December 25, 2025, leaving Bengaluru to capture the organic growth of its own rapidly expanding catchment area.
The question now is not whether Bengaluru will consolidate its domestic lead over Mumbai, but rather, how quickly. In April, Mumbai's year-on-year domestic passenger traffic fell by 12%, compared to only a 0.8% drop for Bengaluru, while Delhi's passenger traffic grew by 1.8%. In the early to mid-2030s, Navi Mumbai airport is expected to handle more flights and passengers than Mumbai airport.
