Passenger traffic at The Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR Airport) continues to recover with over 45% growth in domestic travel and about 136% growth in international travel in FY 2022 as compared to FY 2021.
BLR Airport welcomed 16.28 million passengers in FY 2022 versus 10.91 million passengers in FY 2021. Traffic recovery was 54% of FY 2020 levels – domestic recovery was at 55%, while international passenger traffic recovery was at 24%.
“Our focus on driving operational efficiencies coupled with a resilient ecosystem has enabled us to end FY 2022 on a record high both in terms of cargo and passenger volumes,” said Hari Marar, MD & CEO, Bangalore International Airport Limited.
“It reflects our commitment to serving the industry and our customers through sustained innovations and technological advancements.”
The number of domestic destinations served directly from BLR Airport has grown to 76 compared to 54 last year, and this has been possible due to enhanced connectivity to Tier II/III cities.
Share of non-metro traffic to / from BLR Airport increased from 45% pre-Covid (Apr’19-Feb’20) to 60% in FY 2022, signifying growing penetration of non-metro connectivity.
As a result, the transfer traffic share at BLR Airport has increased to 18% in FY 2022, compared to 10% pre-covid. With this sustained growth, the Airport has established itself as the most preferred transit destination in South India.
Top domestic routes in FY 2022 were Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Goa, with these sectors contributing 40% to the traffic.
BLR Airport served 20 international destinations in FY 2022 with Dubai, Male, Doha, London, and Frankfurt being the top cities contributing 67% to the traffic.
Growth in the international segment is expected to increase as more airlines reinstate operations to and from BLR Airport during the coming months.
Air Traffic Movements Showing Growth
Air Traffic Movements (ATM) at BLR Airport witnessed a recovery of 64% in FY 2022 compared to FY 2020. The domestic ATM recovery was at 66% while international recovery was at 51%.
New International Routes
Scheduled international operations commenced effective 27 March 2022, and as a result, airlines have started reinstating their pre-Covid international network from BLR Airport.
By Q2 of FY 23, airlines at BLR Airport are expected to serve most of their international pre-covid non-stop destinations.
