Chennai airport handled 16,81,835 passengers in August 2026, 11.1% fewer than the 18,91,833 of August 2025, according to the Airports Authority of India’s monthly traffic statistics. The fall has now run for three straight months, even as the airport’s cargo volumes have risen sharply.
AAI publishes a traffic release every month with airport-wise annexures for passengers, aircraft movements and freight. This guide pulls Chennai’s rows from the June, July and August 2026 releases, the latest available, and sets them against the national trend.
Passengers, month by month in 2026
| Month | Domestic | International | Total | Change vs same month 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2026 | 12,00,430 | 4,78,114 | 16,78,544 | -12.7% |
| July 2026 | 11,63,893 | 4,85,608 | 16,49,501 | -12.4% |
| August 2026 | 11,92,886 | 4,88,949 | 16,81,835 | -11.1% |
Figures are from Annexure III of the June, July and August releases. For the first five months of the financial year, April to August 2026, Chennai handled 86,54,041 passengers against 96,83,202 a year earlier, a fall of 10.6%. Domestic traffic was down 11.6% and international down 7.9%.
Roughly seven in ten Chennai passengers fly within India. In August 2026 domestic travellers numbered 11.9 lakh and international 4.9 lakh, a split that has held steady across the three months.
How Chennai compares
In August 2026 Chennai was the fifth-busiest airport in AAI’s table:
| Airport | Passengers, August 2026 |
|---|---|
| Delhi | 60,83,616 |
| Mumbai | 40,50,443 |
| Bengaluru | 34,04,073 |
| Hyderabad | 21,85,934 |
| Chennai | 16,81,835 |
| Kolkata | 13,97,093 |
The national picture was also weaker, but not as weak. Across all Indian airports, passengers fell 5.6% in August 2026 to 31.01 million, with domestic traffic down 6.0% and international down 4.0%, the AAI summary shows. Chennai’s double-digit decline is roughly twice the national rate. AAI’s release gives no reasons for the fall.
Flights: fewer movements
Aircraft movements, meaning each landing or take-off, also dropped. From Annexure II:
| Measure | August 2026 | August 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total movements | 11,254 | 13,218 | -14.9% |
| Total movements, April to August | 59,391 | 67,933 | -12.6% |
Movements fell faster than passengers, which suggests airlines are running fewer flights with fuller cabins rather than the same schedule half-empty. Nationally, movements fell only 2.8% in August.
Cargo is the bright spot
While passenger numbers slid, freight climbed. Annexure IV shows:
| Freight (tonnes) | August 2026 | August 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| International | 33,955.1 | 27,609.9 | +23.0% |
| Domestic | 7,924.4 | 8,593.6 | -7.8% |
| Total | 41,879.5 | 36,203.5 | +15.7% |
| Total, April to August | 1,99,728.0 | 1,80,649.6 | +10.6% |
International cargo makes up about four-fifths of Chennai’s freight, reflecting the city’s role as an export hub for automobile parts, electronics and other manufactured goods. Chennai’s total freight growth in August outpaced the national rise of 11.0%.
What the trend means for travellers
For passengers, fewer movements usually mean fewer frequencies on some routes and fuller flights on the rest. AAI’s figures do not break traffic down by route or airline, so they cannot show which sectors were cut. For that, airline schedules remain the best guide. What the data does show is that the decline is broad: domestic and international passengers both fell in each of June, July and August 2026.
For comparison, all Indian airports together handled 32.85 million passengers in August 2025 and 31.01 million in August 2026. International passengers nationally fell from 6.67 million to 6.40 million, a 4.0% drop, while Chennai’s international traffic fell 7.3% in the same month, from 5,27,736 to 4,88,949 in AAI’s table.
The cumulative figures confirm that this is not a single bad month. Chennai’s domestic passengers for April to August 2026 totalled 62,39,276, down from 70,61,424 a year earlier, and international passengers totalled 24,14,765, down from 26,21,778.
Cargo against the national trend
Nationally, AAI recorded 369.88 thousand tonnes of freight in August 2026, up 11.0% from 333.21 thousand tonnes, with international cargo up 15.5% and domestic up 3.5%. Chennai’s 41,879.5 tonnes was a little over a ninth of the national total. Its international cargo grew faster than the national rate, while its domestic cargo fell 7.8% against a national rise. Over April to August, Chennai’s domestic freight was almost flat (41,447.7 tonnes against 41,254.1), so nearly all the growth came from international shipments.
Where to find the latest month
- AAI posts each month’s release, usually a few weeks after the month ends, on its traffic news page.
- Annexure III gives passengers, Annexure II aircraft movements and Annexure IV freight, airport by airport.
- Figures for the current month compare with the same month a year earlier, and the cumulative columns run from April, the start of the financial year.
Quick answers
How many passengers used Chennai airport in August 2026?
16,81,835, down 11.1% from August 2025, per AAI.
Is Chennai airport traffic falling?
Yes, for passengers. June, July and August 2026 were each down 11 to 13% on 2025. Cargo rose.
What is Chennai’s rank among Indian airports?
Fifth by passengers in August 2026, after Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
How much cargo does Chennai handle?
41,879.5 tonnes in August 2026, up 15.7% year on year.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
Sources
- AAI Traffic News, August 2026, Annexure III: Passengers (Airports Authority of India)
- AAI Traffic News, August 2026, Annexure II: Aircraft Movements (Airports Authority of India)
- AAI Traffic News, August 2026, Annexure IV: Freight (Airports Authority of India)
- AAI Traffic News summary, August 2026 (Airports Authority of India)
- AAI Traffic News, July 2026, Annexure III: Passengers (Airports Authority of India)
- AAI Traffic News, June 2026, Annexure III: Passengers (Airports Authority of India)
- AAI Traffic News archive (Airports Authority of India)
