BLR Airport Emerges as the Transfer Hub for South India
BLR Airport connects to a wide catchment of 23 cities within 75 mins of flying range
19% of the total traffic handled at BLR Airport during Calendar Year (CY) 2021 were transfer passengers, as against ~10% pre-COVID
Improved connectivity to non-metro cities and regional destinations has led to a two-fold increase in transfer passenger share
BLR Airport offered connectivity to 74 domestic destinations in CY 2021, as compared to 54 domestic destinations pre-COVID
Chennai, February 07, 2022: The Indian aviation sector has been one of the fastest growing sectors in the world in the first two decades of the 21st Century. It has more than doubled from around 169 million in FY 2013-14 to around 341 million in 2019-20, a growth of over 10% per annum.
In the past two decades, a steady influx of low-fare carriers, superior regional connectivity to far-flung cities and rise in regional air travel have transformed the face of Indian aviation, making it the third largest domestic aviation market in the world.
Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR Airport), the third busiest Airport in India, is making significant contributions to India’s aviation growth story by facilitating robust connectivity to non-metro cities, providing opportunities to people to fly as well as drive regional economic growth. In the process, BLR Airport has emerged as the preferred transfer hub for South India.
Currently, BLR Airport serves 74 domestic destinations (in CY 2021)—the highest ever since airport opening date, as compared to 54 routes during pre-COVID and is also the highest amongst South Indian Airports. These additions have mainly been to non-metro destinations, and as a result, flights to non-metro routes have shown a considerable increase from 58% (pre-COVID) to 63% in CY 2021. Moreover, between Q1 and Q4 of 2021, traffic on non-metro routes increased by 27%, reinforcing strong demand on these city-pairs.
During the CY 2021, nearly 19% of traffic at BLR Airport comprised of transfer passengers as against ~10% pre-COVID. The major airports contributing to high volumes of transfer passengers at BLR Airport were Chennai, Kochi, Hyderabad and Goa.
Apart from the increase in non-metro connectivity, the geographical location of Bengaluru and the growing economy of the State of Karnataka has helped in positioning BLR as the major aviation gateway of South and Central India. BLR Airport offers a wide catchment area of 23 cities within a convenient flying time of 75 mins. This, coupled with growth in non-metro connectivity, has helped in building the transfer traffic market at BLR Airport. The transfer traffic flow has helped in strengthening loads on other domestic and international routes as well. Moreover, with this catchment area serving a population of ~256 million people (i.e., 1/5th of India’s population), BLR Airport is leading the growth story of the region.
To create an exceptional travel experience for transit passengers, BLR Airport offers world-class infrastructure and facilities. Also, passengers can take advantage of a wide array of shopping, dining, and unwinding options at the Airport, including excellent service and the best of hospitality at the newly revamped lounges and Transit Hotel during their stopover. In addition, to cater to growing transfer numbers, BLR Airport has further augmented two of its existing transfer zones by creating an additional lane for smooth transfer of passengers. With the opening of Terminal 2, we expect to add to our transfer experience and look forward to developing BLR Airport as the New Gateway to India.