Bengaluru airport sees 28% rise in pax trafic in Sep qtr

Team Udayavani, Oct 13, 2018, 4:49 PM IST

Bengaluru: Passenger trafic at the city’s Kempegowda International Airport surged 28.1 per cent to 8.13 million in September quarter, driven by new flights, higher occupancy in aircraft and low fares, the aerodrome operator said Friday.

The private airport, operated by Bangalore International Airport (BIAL), had flown 6.35 million passengers in the same period last year.

The domestic passenger traffic rose 30.5 per cent to 7.07 million in September quarter, while the international passenger volumes increased by 13.8 per cent to 1.6 million, BIAL said in a release.

The launch of new routes, superior load factors and attractive offers contributed to the growth trajectory and increased passenger volumes, the release added.

BIAL is the joint venture company that operates Bengaluru’s Kempegowda international airport.

Canadian firm Fairfax holds 54 per cent stake in the JV, Siemens Projects Ventures 20 per cent, while the central and state governments hold 13 per cent each through AAI and KSIIDC.

“To accommodate this growth, Bangalore airport will continue to tap into a variety of new and emerging technologies and build new infrastructure that promises to transform the airport experience,” said Hari Marar, managing director and chief executive officer, BIAL.

The number of aircraft movement improved by 23.4 per cent, with a total of 59,184 landings and take-offs, against 47,971 during the same period last year, the release said.

The airport handled 643 flights on an average per day during the quarter, it said.

The quarter also recorded an increase of 16.4 per cent in cargo throughput, handling 104,093 tonne, compared with 89,426 tonne processed during the same period last fiscal.

Kuwait Airways resumed its services from the Bangalore airport during the quarter, as per the release.

As many as 34 passenger airlines – eight domestic and 26 international (including three Indian carriers) – operate from Bengaluru to 69 destinations, including 46 local ones.