Bengaluru airport connects to more domestic destinations

Bengaluru: Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (KIAB/ BLR Airport) said on Thursday that it now connects 61 destinations across India, indicating a positive trend in air travel to non-metro cities. The airport catered to 58 domestic destinations before the onset of the pandemic, a statement from BIAL said.

The new additions are Jorhat (IndiGo), Gorakhpur (IndiGo) and Jharsuguda (SpiceJet) that commenced operations in January. Further cementing its position as one of the best-connected airports in the country, Bengaluru airport will soon have flights to five new destinations — Rajkot, Durgapur (SpiceJet) and Dibrugarh (IndiGo) later this month, followed by Agra and Kurnool in March 2021.

Silchar, Darbhanga, Amritsar, Nashik, and Jabalpur were the other new routes that were launched earlier in FY 2020-21, taking the overall tally of new routes for the Financial Year to 13. The enhanced connectivity to regional and non-metro routes from Bengaluru airport further accentuates the focus of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India, on improving India's regional connectivity.

Owing to renewed confidence among passengers on hygiene and safety of air travel amid the pandemic, there has been a significant increase in passenger traffic to non-metro cities. A daily average of 270 flights, carrying an average of 30,000 passengers per day, departed to non-metro cities in January 2021.

Meanwhile, the improved regional connectivity has led to a three-fold increase in transfer passengers, further strengthening Bengaluru Airport's position as the new gateway to India.

With geographical advantage that provides fast and easy access to catchment areas of South India and other non-metro airports, Bengaluru Airport is driving the growth of the region, with an increase in share of non-metro passengers from 55 percent in FY19-20 to 64 percent in FY20-21. These factors have enabled Bengaluru Airport faster recovery of Air Traffic Movements and passenger traffic as compared with other major Airports in India.