Mumbai Airport's total passenger traffic increased 4 per cent year-on-year to over 4.42 million in October, helped by festive travel demand, Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) said on Friday.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), the country's second busiest airport -- 74 per cent-owned by Adani Group and the remaining 26 per cent by the state-run airports operator AAI -- had handled a total of 4.25 million passengers in October 2023.

Significantly, this year, three major festivals -- Dussehra, Dhanteras and Diwali -- fell in October.

"CSMIA facilitated travel for over 4.42 million passengers -- 3.16 million domestic and over 1.25 million international -- in October. This festive season saw a marked surge in both domestic and international traffic, as travellers flocked to celebrate the festival of lights," the private airport operator said in a statement.

October 26, which fell on the last Saturday before the commencement of the Diwali festivities, recorded the highest number of air traffic movements (arrivals and departures), with 939 flights on a single day, marking it the busiest day in the month, MIAL said, adding that the facility saw a remarkable rise in ATMs in October, with 19,848 domestic and 7,222 international, owing to an expanded number of travel options for passengers.

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