From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Jan 27: The Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru has welcomed 33.65 million passengers during the calendar year (CY) 2019, registering a 4.1% growth.
The airport had handled 32.33 million passengers in the previous calendar year. While international passenger traffic witnessed double-digit growth of 14.0%, an upswing from 4.27 million in calendar year 2018 to 4.87 million in 2019, domestic traffic grew by 2.6%, from 28.05 million in 2018 to 28.78 million in 2019.
According to Bengaluru International Airport Ltd (BIAL), year 2019 has been a turbulent year for Indian aviation, mostly impacted by the closure of a large airline and supply-side challenges caused by the grounding of some aircraft types.
These factors had a ripple effect as the ATMs at the BIAL were down by 0.1% as against the double-digit CAGR witnessed in the previous five years (CY14 to CY18).
The total ATMs during this period was 235,058 as compared 235,190 ATMs in CY 2018. Notably, international movements remained on the upswing, growing by 13.0% with a total of 30,556 ATMs as compared to 26,966 ATMs in CY 2018, owing to the launch of new routes and new flights during winter season of 2018.
Domestic movements saw a slump of 1.8% to 204,502 ATMs from 208,224 ATMs in CY 2018. Meanwhile, domestic cargo remained positive, registering a 4.1% growth.
The total domestic cargo processed during this period was 149,603 Metric Tonnes (MT), as against 143,701 MT in CY 2018.
In the same period, international cargo dropped by 4.1%, with the overall cargo shipment down by 1.0 %.
Rs 13,000 cr investment on infrastructure expansion "The aviation market in India is in recovery mode after a volatile period. We estimate that passenger volumes at BIAL will be between 55 and 65 million passengers per Annum (mppa) in the next five years. To support this growth, BIAL is investing Rs 13,000 crore for infrastructure expansion, including the South Runway, which is operational, and the first phase of Terminal 2,” said Mr. Hari Marar, MD & CEO, BIAL.
“Passengers at the BIAL have come to associate our Airport with a high-quality travel experience. With passenger volumes increasing, BIAL introduced several technological initiatives to enable a hassle-free and seamless airport with launch of several technology initiatives such as the fully-automated self-bag-drop machines and Smart Security Lanes. We even did a real-life test of the biometric-based self-boarding process – DigiYatra.
The citizens of Bengaluru have come to associate the BLR Airport with more than just travel – The Quad by BIAL and the Concert Arena now draw non-travelers to the Airport, as well,” Marar added.
Among the airlines, Indigo continued to lead as their passenger figures, to and from Bengaluru, rose by 13.0% from 13.81 mppa in CY 2018 to 15.61 mppa in CY 2019.
On the domestic front, Delhi (13,186) and Mumbai (11,801) continued to be the most travelled destinations from Bengaluru while Singapore (1,628) and Dubai (1,488) were the top international cities by annual scheduled passenger movement CY19.
Seven new destinations and two new international airlines were introduced during the course of the calendar year. Two more – Japan Airlines to Tokyo and Lufthansa to Munich – are set to operate from summer of 2020, with an aim to make BIAL the gateway to a new India.
Currently, Bengaluru is connected to 82 destinations, including 25 international cities. 36 passenger airlines (8 domestic and 24 international, including 4 Indian carriers) operate to and from BLR Airport on a regular basis. In addition, there are 14 cargo airlines, including 2 Indian carriers.
In a major stepping stone towards making BLR Airport as the ultimate experiential and entertainment destination in the country, BIAL has recently entered into an agreement with Phase 1 Events and Embassy Group to manage and operate a Concert Arena, scheduled to be ready by the end of 2021.
This multipurpose arena will take entertainment a new level, enabling the coming together of world-class music bands from across the globe, sporting events, expos and exhibitions, round the year.