Bangalore International Airport sees 71% spike in passenger traffic in 2022: Report

A surge in domestic passenger volume resulted in the Bangalore International Airport recording a 71 per cent increase in its passenger traffic in 2022 as compared to 2021.

Published on: Feb 8, 2023, 17:47:29 IST

By Yamini C S

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The Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), which is the operator of the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru's Devanahalli, has recorded a 71 per cent surge in its passenger traffic in 2022 as compared to 2021.

Passengers at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru.

Passenger traffic was at 27.5 million people in 2022, helped by increased domestic passenger volume, which recovered to pre-pandemic levels after the operator re-launched several key routes and introduced new ones to top business and travel destinations, news agency PTI reported.

International passenger traffic also recovered by reaching 3.14 million in 2022 as compared to around 940,000 in 2021.

READ | Bengaluru airport back to pre-COVID passenger levels

“There was a sharp increase in passenger numbers during the year-end holiday season with as many as 3.13 million passengers travelling in December 2022 (of which, 2.74 million were domestic passengers) – surpassing the pre-Covid record of 3.06 million passengers in December 2019,” BIAL told PTI.

The facility runs flights across 75 destinations across India, and had added 16 new destinations after the pandemic hit. This coupled with most carriers resuming all of their operations in 2022 led to a surge in domestic passenger traffic.

Some new routes launched in the past year include Qantas Airways' direct flight between Bengaluru and Sydney four times a week, which was the first direct flight from South India to Australia.

Major airline Emirates also launched its flagship A380 signature double-decker flight from the Karnataka capital to Dubai, which was a big treat for aviation enthusiasts. Moreover, Air India's Bengaluru to San Francisco flight also made a comeback.

Passengers from Bengaluru mostly flew to Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Kochi, and Hyderabad in 2022, BIAL said.

(With PTI inputs)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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