Tremors of the Pahalgam terrorist attack are still being felt in Kashmir. Air traffic, which had set a record a few years ago, has witnessed a significant drop in the last five months. The passenger count has dropped by over 33 percent in the last five months. Srinagar airport saw a sharp decline of more than 67 per cent year-on-year in May, handling just 161,214 passengers. While traffic improved in August to 257,867 passengers, it was 17.9 per cent less compared to the same month in 2024. Overall, from April to August 2025, the airport recorded a 33.1 per cent drop in passenger numbers, a stark contrast to the 10.2 per cent growth during the same period last year. The number of flights has also been reduced from 102 in April to just 51 in October. The same is the case with Jammu airport, which experienced a similar slump. Passenger numbers fell 51.6 per cent in May to 68000. In August, traffic reached 107,260—still 14.4 per cent lower than August 2024. The cautious traveler sentiment continues to weigh on tourism and air travel post-Pahalgam attack. Before the April 22 Pahalagam terror attack, Kashmir was bursting at the seams with tourists. More than 5,25 lakh tourists visited the valley in the first three months of 2025. This includes 5,14,845 domestic and 10,427 foreign tourists, giving a major push to the local economy and bringing smiles to people who depend on tourism for their livelihood. Asia’s largest Tulip Garden in Srinagar hosted 8.55 lakh visitors from March 26 to April 24 this year. A record 2.35 crore tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir in 2024. Domestic tourist numbers shot up tenfold — from 25.19 lakh in 2020 to 2.35 crore in 2024. Foreign tourist arrivals also surged, jumping from just 5,317 in 2020 to 65,452 in 2024. Since tourism has witnessed a slump, airlines too have reduced their flights. The Srinagar-Delhi sector was once considered lucrative given the huge passenger rush. Every time, tourism operators and civil society groups used to send SOS to the government to regulate the airfare. It took one terror attack to bring Kashmir to its knees again. In hindsight, it may look casual. This drop, in fact, is a wakeup call. Unless we take steps, we may face a crisis in the months to come. Here, the governments both at the Centre and the UT need to make concerted efforts to help Kashmir grow economically. Tourist footfalls and air traffic are among the biggest indicators of economic prosperity in the Kashmir context. We need to go back to the drawing board, chalk out a strategy to put Kashmir back on the track of development and prosperity. A collective effort from all strata of society is needed to create an economically viable atmosphere. The government needs to realize the gravity of the situation and switch to a proactive mode to reverse the economic crisis.
Air traffic
