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Chennai Airport’s Busiest Months: Three Years of AAI Data

A month-by-month heat grid of Chennai airport passengers since 2024 shows the winter peak, the May bump and a weak 2026 summer.

24 October 2026

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January 2026 was the busiest month at Chennai airport in the Airports Authority of India figures we compiled from January 2024 onwards: 20,77,076 passengers, or about 67,000 a day. It edged out January 2025 (20,64,961) and December 2024 (20,60,635). Year after year, the airport’s rush comes in the cool months around the new year.

The quietest stretch is recent. June, July and August 2026 were the three slowest months in the grid, each under 16.9 lakh passengers, and every month from April to August 2026 ran behind the same month of 2025.

20.77 lakhpassengers in January 2026, the peak

16.50 lakhpassengers in July 2026, the low

-10.6%April to August 2026 against 2025

Heat grid of Chennai airport passengers by month, 2024 to August 2026. January 2026 is the busiest month at 20.77 lakh; June to August 2026 are the quietest at 16.5 to 16.8 lakh. — Darker squares are busier months. March figures were not available.

Each row is a calendar year and each square a month. Darker blue means more passengers; the number in the square is lakh passengers, domestic and international together.
The orange outline marks the single busiest month. March is blank because AAI’s March releases could not be opened, and September to December 2026 are not yet published.
Some months are worked out from AAI’s year-to-date totals; they are starred in the table below.

Winter and May are the rush seasons

Every year’s top month falls in December or January: December in 2024, January in 2025 and January 2026. November is close behind, with 20,28,569 passengers in November 2025. December 2025 was the exception, at 19,10,428, or 7.3% below December 2024, according to AAI’s December 2025 release. AAI does not give reasons for monthly changes.

May is the second peak. May 2025 carried 20,41,235 passengers, the fourth-highest month in the grid. The slack months are April, June and September, which range between about 16.8 and 19.4 lakh.

2026 has fallen behind 2025

January 2026 started 0.6% ahead of January 2025. From February the line turns. June 2026 was 12.7% below June 2025, July 12.4% below and August 11.1% below, per the August 2026 annexure.

Dumbbell chart comparing 2025 and 2026 monthly passengers. January rose slightly to 20.77 lakh; June fell most, from 19.24 lakh to 16.79 lakh, a drop of 12.7%. — June 2026 shows the widest gap, 12.7% below June 2025.

Most passengers still fly within India. In August 2026, 11,92,886 were domestic and 4,88,949 international, roughly seven in ten domestic. Both fell against August 2025, domestic by 12.6% and international by 7.3%.

Column chart of April to August passengers: 90.96 lakh in 2024, 96.83 lakh in 2025 and 86.54 lakh in 2026, a fall of 10.6% on 2025. — The first five months of 2026-27 were below both earlier years.

-11.1%

Chennai’s fall in August 2026 against a year earlier, about double the 5.6% drop across all Indian airports in the same AAI table.

The numbers behind the graphic

Month	2024	2025	2026
Jan	18,79,949*	20,64,961*	20,77,076*
Feb	17,51,280	18,60,811	18,16,593
Mar	not available	not available	not available
Apr	17,40,583*	19,43,018	17,39,902
May	19,13,964	20,41,235	19,04,259
Jun	17,84,457*	19,23,505	16,78,544
Jul	18,13,638	18,83,611	16,49,501
Aug	18,43,337	18,91,833	16,81,835
Sep	17,85,554*	18,23,304*	not yet published
Oct	17,93,874	19,02,521	not yet published
Nov	18,40,035*	20,28,569*	not yet published
Dec	20,60,635	19,10,428	not yet published
April to August total	90,95,979	96,83,202	86,54,041

Source: Airports Authority of India, Traffic News, Annexure III (total passengers, domestic plus international), monthly releases from December 2024 to August 2026. Each release gives the month and the same month a year earlier. *Worked out by subtracting AAI’s published year-to-date totals; for example, January 2026 is April to February 2025-26 minus April to December minus February.

About the data

AAI publishes airport-wise passenger counts every month in its Traffic News, with an annexure for passengers. Each release lists the month, the same month a year earlier and the financial-year total so far, so a handful of releases covers three calendar years. Figures can be revised in later releases.

The March releases for 2024, 2025 and 2026 and a few other months could not be opened on AAI’s site, so March is left blank rather than estimated. Nine months were derived from year-to-date totals; the one we could test against a direct figure, April 2026, matched exactly.

Quick answers

Which is the busiest month at Chennai airport?

December or January. January 2026 was the peak in the AAI figures from 2024 onwards, with 20,77,076 passengers.

How many passengers used Chennai airport in August 2026?

16,81,835, down 11.1% from 18,91,833 in August 2025.

Is Chennai airport traffic growing in 2026?

No. April to August 2026 carried 86,54,041 passengers, 10.6% fewer than the same five months of 2025.

Information checked against official sources on 22 October 2026. Figures can be revised; confirm on the linked official pages before relying on them.