Mumbai International Airport handled a combined 969 flights on Friday. That’s more than any other airport that operates a single runway has ever handled over a 24-hour period.
Like airports in London, New York, Dubai, and other world aviation hubs, Mumbai has more than one runway. But because its two runways criss-cross, they can never operate simultaneously, the Times of Indiareports.
Mumbai’s new record is not just a quirk of kooky design, though. India’s aviation sector—driven by a combination of cheaper air fares and rising incomes—is booming, according toBloomberg.
India is set to be world’s third largest aviation market after China and the United States and there is plenty of room for more growth: budget airline SpiceJet claims that 97% of the country’s 1.3 billion population has never taken a flight.
Mumbai routinely handles more than 900 take-offs and landings per day, the Times of India reports, and the airport is hoping to soon hit the 1,000 mark. Friday’s record breaking tally was driven by an usually high number of private and charter flights on top of the scheduled itinerary.
