One airport that has acquired the attention of the aviation world in recent weeks is Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru, and is being seen as a rising star.
The airport has been making big strides over the past few years, especially with the airfield now matching, if not exceeding pre-pandemic movement levels.
This feature will take a look at the airport as a whole, including where they could go next within this.
Kempegowda International Airport Exceeding Pre-Pandemic Movement Numbers…
Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru have exceeded pre-pandemic movement numbers, based on a seven-day rolling average provided by RadarBox.
For October 31-November 7, the airport achieved 655 movements, which is an increase of 7.20% compared to the same period last year.
Compared to 2019 levels, this is recorded at 645 movements. Below is a table consisting of the last four weeks’ worth of data for the airport:
| Date | 2019 Numbers | 2022 Numbers | 2023 Numbers | Percentage Difference (2023 vs. 2022) |
| October 3-10 | 633 movements | 610 movements | 646 movements | +5.90% |
| October 10-17 | 636 movements | 616 movements | 646 movements | +4.87% |
| October 17-24 | 643 movements | 616 movements | 653 movements | +6.01% |
| October 24-31 | 645 movements | 623 movements | 661 movements | +6.10% |
What we can see from the data is that Kempegowda International Airport is consistently exceeding pre-pandemic figures, and is performing better than the same period last year.
With their recent successes as well as upcoming events, the airport is destined to take this success even further.
Recent Successes For The Bengaluru-based Airport…
Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru has had recent successes over the last few weeks, notably from the likes of German carrier Lufthansa, who launched services from Munich.
On top of this, the airport has had some other successes throughout the year. Back in January, the new Pratt & Whitney Engineering Center was opened by Raytheon at the airport.
Also, the airport opened up it’s new Terminal 2, of which AviationSource has done a review of that building back in February.
Back in August, Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru and it’s cargo side of the market achieved records in perishable cargo as well.
It ultimately highlights the efforts that are being taken by the airport to create growth in all sections of the market that they serve both domestically and globally.
Upcoming Events Which Will Stimulate Growth for Bengaluru…
The airport also has a few more upcoming events, which will help them expand movement numbers going into the short-to-medium term.
As follows, the next upcoming routes for Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru is as follows:
- Air India Express:
- Kannur (Begins November 20). (Daily)
- Mangalore (Resumes November 20). (Twice-daily)
- Thiruvananthapuram (Begins November 20).
- IndiGo:
- Jharsuguda (Begins November 15) (Daily).
- Virgin Atlantic:
- London Heathrow (Begins April 1, 2024) (Daily).
It is routes like this which will help Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru to go comfortably above it’s target of 100 daily flights, which was recorded as 85 back in August.
Within those upcoming new routes, you are looking at a minimum of 35 additional weekly flights to the airport by April 2024, which represents strong growth.
The IndiGo Effect: Creating Significant Successes…
Without the major presence of IndiGo, Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru wouldn’t be in the position that they are in at all.
As we can see from the image above, IndiGo accounts for 57% of total traffic out of the area, with there being a staggering difference of 268 average daily flights between it’s competitor of Air India Express, based on the seven-day rolling averages provided by RadarBox.
With IndiGo adding more services on a regular basis across India, it will come as no surprise if Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru benefits from that.
However, as Air India Express continues to grow in velocity due to the investment placed by Tata Sons, then eventually, we should see the gap reduce in due course, and make the area even more prosperous through additional flights.
Kempegowda International Airport Enjoying The Benefits…
Overall, it remains clear that Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru is up to interesting things these days, and is becoming a rising star in the airports industry of India.
Looking ahead, all eyes will be on how they can develop these successes further, and to grow at an even faster pace.
Luckily, they have the fast development of the airline industry behind them and they can use that to their advantage to get the best out of overall growth in both the short and long-term.
But one thing is for sure: The airport’s post-pandemic story will continue to be growth for quite some time to come.
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