Kempegowda International Airport recorded passenger traffic recovery of 82 per cent in 2022

The Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru recorded a passenger traffic recovery of 82 per cent in 2022 compared to the pre-pandemic year of 2019. A total of 27.5 mn passengers travelled through the Bengaluru airport in 2022. The airport witnessed 85 per cent recovery in the domestic sector and 65 per cent recovery in the international sector.

Around 24.36 mn domestic passengers and 3.14 mn international passengers travelled through the airport in 2022. The highest passenger count (1,07,825) in a single day was recorded on December 23, 2022.

Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Kochi, and Hyderabad were the top domestic routes for Bengaluru in 2022, contributing approximately 40 per cent to domestic traffic. Whereas Dubai, Male, Singapore, Doha, and Abu Dhabi were the top international routes contributing approximately 47 per cent to international traffic.

According to a report released by the airport authorities Tuesday, the Bengaluru airport saw a sharp increase in passenger numbers during the year-end holiday season. Around 3.13 mn passengers travelled in December 2022 (of which, 2.74 mn were domestic) – surpassing the pre-Covid record of 3.06 mn passengers in December 2019. This indicated a recovery of 98 per cent in air transport movements (ATMs) vis-à-vis pre-Covid numbers, and the domestic ATMs witnessed a 100 percent recovery.

Post-pandemic, the Bengaluru airport also witnessed flights to more destinations. The airport is now connected to 75 destinations across India, an increase of 16 destinations compared to the pre-Covid time. “Akasa Airlines’ remarkable growth has been one of the success stories of 2022, with the airline basing a large part of their fleet at BLR Airport and growing to 30 daily departures to 11 destinations within six months of their commencement,” the report said. With over 100 daily departures, the share of transfer passengers also increased to 15 per cent (an increase of 5 per cent compared to pre-Covid years) at the airport.

With 14 domestic and foreign cargo carriers operating 41 direct routes, the cargo volumes in 2022 were 412,668 MT, the highest tonnage handled since Airport Opening Day (AOD), and the highest import tonnage was recorded in the month of July. Domestic cargo recorded an increase of 8 per cent in 2022.