Busiest international airports and seaports in India

India is a vast country, and its international airports are some of the busiest in the world. Read on to learn more about the busiest international airports in India.

Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL)

One of the most technologically advanced airports in the world, Indira Gandhi International Airport is also the busiest in the country in terms of passenger traffic. Located in India’s capital city of New Delhi, the airport is sprawled over 2,066 hectares. At present, the airport has three terminals. Delhi airport authorities run complimentary shuttle services between all the terminals at 20 minutes intervals, and this service is available 24/7. The airport also has three runways, one of which is ranked the longest in the country at over 4,400 meters.

Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (BOM)

This international airport is located in Mumbai, known as the commercial capital of India. Second busiest in terms of domestic as well as international passenger traffic, Mumbai airport can handle as many as 950 flights on average in a day. The airport is spread over 750 hectares and is ranked the 29th busiest airport in the world. At present, the airport has two terminals, a cargo terminal, and two intersecting runways. Both passenger terminals handle international and domestic passenger flights and are located five kilometers apart. The only way to commute between these two terminals is by taking an airport taxi.

Kempegowda International Airport (BLR)

Sprawling over 1,600 hectares, Kempegowda airport is located close to 30 kilometers from Bangalore. It is the third busiest in India in passenger traffic and cargo handling. The airport has one terminal that handles both international and domestic flights. The terminal has two runways.

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (HYD)

The fourth busiest airport in passenger traffic, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport is spread over 2,224 hectares and is located in Hyderabad. The airport handled over 12 million passengers in 2022. It has a passenger terminal, a cargo terminal, and two runways.

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU)

This airport, located in Kolkata, is ranked the fifth busiest in India in passenger traffic. The airport has two terminals and two parallel runways and is the largest air travel hub in eastern India. The airport has recently undergone remarkable modernization and has been elected as the Most Improved Airport in the Asia-Pacific region.

Busiest seaports in India

Here’s a list of some of the busiest seaports in India.

Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNP), Mumbai.

This is one of India’s busiest seaports. JNP is connected to 200 international ports. Starting with only one container terminal, it now has five full-automated container terminals. It handles close to 55% of the country’s container traffic.

One of the main cruise ships that operate from this port is Costa NeoClassica Cruise. Apart from this many international cruise liners visit the post every year.

Mundra Port, Gujarat

This privately-run seaport in Gujarat has overtaken JNP in container traffic recently. However, this port is majorly used by container ships. It has four container terminals with a total capacity of 7.5 million.

Cochin Port, Kerala

Kerala is one of the most preferred tourism destinations in India. Cochin Port, located in central Kerala, considers cruising as one of its major businesses. The port has two dedicated cruise terminals. International cruise lines like Cunard Lines and Royal Caribbean Lines call the port every year.

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Why aren’t land entry points supported by India eVisa

The Indian government operates about nine land ports across its borders. However, foreign citizens arriving on eVisas cannot use these land ports due to security reasons as the country shares its land borders with nations like China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, among others. Travelers from neighboring countries can enter the country through land borders only in special circumstances. They can arrive by water and air and that too after thorough security and character verification.

However, citizens of Bhutan and Nepal can use these land ports to enter India. They don’t need a visa and can travel to India with their passports or other identity documents like electoral cards. Citizens of Bangladesh with relevant visas can use the land port at Hili to enter India.