Hyderabad, April 24 : Hyderabad International Airport handled 21 million passengers during 2022-23, a recovery of over 97 per cent compared to pre-Covid figures of 2019-20. The airport witnessed 17.6 million domestic passengers and more than 3.4 million international passengers during 2022-23. Airport operator GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) announced on Monday that compared to pre-Covid figures (2019-20), the passenger traffic has recovered by over 97 per cent during 2022-23. The transfer traffic increased from 13 per cent to 22 per cent. The total number of Air Traffic Movements (ATMs) during 2022-23 was 160,597 of which 137,640 were domestic ATMs and 22,957 international ATMs. Domestic and international passenger traffic increased considerably, domestic airlines increased their load factors despite supply chain issues across the world, ATMs showed an uptick and new domestic and international travel destinations were added from Hyderabad Airport attracting more travelers from across the southern region, the airport operator said. Along with the MNCs and Corporate, Hyderabad has strong VFR (Visiting Friends and Relatives), tourists, MSME (Micro Small and Medium Enterprises) and student traffic. In the last two years, VFR, tourists, MSME and student traffic has helped Hyderabad Airport recover faster than any other metro airport in India. "We have witnessed the recovery at a very consistent pace. Hyderabad International Airport is envisioned to be a major travel hub for people travelling from Southern and Central India. As a preferred and largest transit hub, it offers convenient proximity for passengers originating from nearby cities. Airlines can connect to any part of India within a flying time of 2 hrs," GHIAL said. "Internationally, airlines can connect to South Asia, Southeast Asia & the Middle East within a flying time of 4 hrs and can also support the traffic requirement for long haul flights to the USA, Europe & Australia. In fact, we have seen a strong O&D traffic to USA, Europe, Africa, South East Asia, and Australia to complement the hub traffic in Hyderabad," it added. Hyderabad has emerged as the fourth busiest airport in India in terms of annual passenger traffic from its earlier position of 6th busiest airport in India During 2022-23, Hyderabad Airport added 3 new domestic sectors. It is now connected to over 70 domestic destinations, from the pre- Covid period of 55 domestic destinations. The UDAN initiative, which is aimed to bolster the regional connectivity of travellers to Tier II-Tier III cities has further boosted the connectivity across India. Though overall international travel was subdued during the prolonged Covid-19 pandemic, Hyderabad airport is now connected to its earlier favourite destinations like Singapore, Qatar, Sharjah, Doha and Kuwait. Recently the Hyderabad-Colombo flight has resumed. A wide-body service to Singapore has been introduced. Dhaka, Baghdad and Don Mueang were added to this list. To further strengthen and facilitate the Hub and Spoke operations for airlines, Hyderabad International Airport is increasing its capacity from the current 12 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA) to 34 MPPA with an Integrated Domestic and International terminal under a single roof. This Integrated Terminal at Hyderabad International Airport is a unique facility in the entire South and Central India, very unlike the other International Airports in the region which have multiple terminals. The integrated terminal will further add value to airlines in choosing Hyderabad International Airport as a preferred hub. "There has been an upsurge in air travel from the region. This is a healthy trend for the sector.A Our endeavor is to ensure a safe, efficient, and sustainable air transport system for passengers.A Strategic investments in technology and infrastructure as part of our expansion plans in a phase wise manner have enabled convenient travel. A few new destinations have been added and some old ones restored. We look forward to welcoming more travellers and increased connectivity once the entire expansion is completed," said Pradeep Panicker, CEO - GMR Hyderabad International Airport. /IANS