Passenger traffic at Bangalore Intl Airport jumps 35.3% to 37.2 mn in 2023

Passenger traffic at Bangalore International Airport surged 35.3 per cent on a year-on-year basis to 37.2-million in calendar 2023, the private airport operator said on Friday.

The facility had handled a total of 27.50-million passengers in the January-December period of 2022.

During the previous year, it said, Cargo volumes rose 2 per cent on a year-on-year basis with the facility processing a total of 4,22,644 MT of cargo during CY 2023.

The domestic sector soared with an impressive 11 per cent growth, highlighting the airport's strengthening its position as a rapidly growing cargo hub in India, it said.

Of the total 37.2 million passengers handled during 2023, 32.7 million were domestic passengers and 4.5 million travelled to international destinations, Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) said in a statement.

On April 29, 2023, the Airport recorded the highest number of passengers in a single day for CY2023 at 1,16,688 passengers, exceeding the pre-pandemic levels, it said.

Factors such as reduced travel limitations, improved economic conditions, and increased demand for leisure and business travel led to a notable rise in growth numbers, BIAL said.

The domestic ATMs last year saw a substantial 22 per cent recovery, while international ATMs showed a 15 per cent increase, BIAL said, adding that these indicators reflect the positive momentum in the aviation sector, demonstrating the gradual return to pre-pandemic level travel patterns.

The highest number of air traffic movements (ATMs) was witnessed on March 17, 2023, reaching 748 ATMs in a single day, which was a notable recovery, considering that the highest ATMs on any single day in CY 2022 was 693, it said.

Significantly, Bangalore Airport last September shifted international operations from its Terminal 1 to Terminal 2.

The airport operator said it served 25 international destinations last year, with Dubai, Singapore, and Doha emerging as the top sectors contributing to the international traffic.

The airport's strategic focus on global connectivity continues to position it as a key gateway for travel across South and Central India, it said.