Bangalore airport sees fastest growth in traffic in 2013-14

It’s perhaps a sign of the global economy emerging out of the blues of the economic slowdown. The Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), which operates the international airport — Kempegowda International Airport, today said the airport had seen a significant growth in traffic in 2013-14.

With the close of FY2013-14, the BIAL reported that over 12.86 million passengers were served in 2013-14, with 118,575 air traffic movements (ATM) even as the year witnessed many new improvements and the operationalisation of the enhanced terminal. The airport also experienced the highest year-on-year growth in ATM in FY2013-14. Overall, the airport handled 7.3 per cent more passengers as compared to 2012-13, with 10.23 million domestic and 2.63 million international travellers in 2013-14.

The airport, witnessed an average of 325 ATMs per day. The airlines witnessed average daily passenger numbers of 35,259 travellers, with seat load factors of 69 per cent for Domestic and 75 per cent for International flights respectively.

“The growth in traffic is a sign for us that this is an airport of choice for domestic and international travellers. This trend also reaffirms our commitment of making Bangalore a gateway to South India,” said, G V Sanjay Reddy, MD, BIAL.

New domestic routes to and from the airport for the year include Imphal, Agatti, Surat, Mysore, Pondicherry, Guwahati, Belgaum, Tuticorin, Indore and Dehradun. Additionally, SpiceJet started inter- national operations to Bangkok in October. New connectivity includes Air Costa which started domestic operations to Vijayawada and Jaipur. BIAL also partnered the Karnataka State Road Transportation Corporation (KSRTC) to start the ‘Flybus’ service from Bangalore to Mysore to develop the intermodal connectivity of the airport, according to a release from BIAL, according to a release from BIAL..

Cargo growth

Meanwhile, the cargo volumes handled in 2013-14 grew 7 per cent compared to 2012-13 to reach a volume of 242,426 tonnes in 2013-14. Parallel to this growth in volumes, the airport inaugurated cargo bays to serve freighter aircrafts and further improve the air cargo supply chain. The new cargo bays include six dedicated wide body freighter stands with seamless access to the cargo terminal.

The airport caters to pharmaceuticals, perishables (fruits and vegetables), electronics, engineering, machinery, automobile, valuables, textiles, readymade garments (RMG), among others with origin across South India, addressing trade needs from SAARC, Asia, China, Europe, USA Canada, Oceania and West Asia, said the release.

New services

For all domestic passengers arriving at the Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru with onward connection on the same airline can now avail the Domestic transfer facility to ensure a quick connection with minimum walking distance and a hassle-free flow for passengers transferring through the airport.

Visa-on-arrival too was introduced in 2013 for visitors from 11 countries.

This service is available to visitors traveling from Japan, Singapore, New Zealand, Philippines, Indonesia, Luxembourg, Finland, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia.

Bangalore airport sees fastest growth in traffic in 2013-14