INDIA. Bengaluru Kempegowda International Airport (KIAB) posted surging passenger growth of +25.2% year-on-year in 2015, with the figure hitting 18.1 million.
Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) said that international passenger volumes climbed by +15.8% and domestic by +27.4% compared to 2014.
BIAL said in a statement: “The consistent growth of the airport since its opening, despite a volatile macroeconomic scenario, is a demonstration of Kempegowda International as an airport of choice. Statistics point to an expanding market, with growth in leisure travel and a wider demographic profile. With a well-defined route development strategy KIAB has established itself as South India’s busiest airport and India’s third largest airport.”
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BIAL Managing Director GV Sanjay Reddy said: “Passenger traffic remained resilient in the face of global uncertainties and we were able to maintain the expected growth range forecast for the year. We have grown not only in terms of traffic and airline partnerships, but also in our relentless focus on creating an international airport experience for our passengers.
“This is testimony that KIAB is an airport of choice for domestic and international travellers, and that we are closer to our long-term goals of becoming a gateway to the Southern region.”
Key numbers 2015
*KIAB recorded 63,769 passengers on 4 December 2015, making it the highest single day’s traffic since the start of airport operations
*The busiest domestic routes are to Delhi, Mumbai and Pune
*KIAB connects 44 airlines to 67 destinations in India and globally
*The ratio of domestic to international passengers stands at 81.9:18.1
*The ratio of leisure to business travellers is 50:50
BIAL also reported a number of key food & beverage and retail openings during 2015. New F&B outlets include La Tapenade, Eat at Bengaluru, KFC and La Alta Vita. New retail outlets included the expansion of the Nuance duty free store, the Sound & Vision consumer electronics concept, destination goods from Poparazzi, plus Ethos, Mithastop and Buzz.
Plaza Premium Group opened its new lounge in December and in the same month, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces commenced operations of the 154-room Taj Bangalore Hotel.
Key marketing campaigns included “˜I am India’ to mark Independence Day and shopping festival “˜Season of Smiles’, offering travellers the chance to win gold every day with a spend of INR100.
Development in 2016
The design of the proposed new T2 will be drafted this year through US architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). T2 will be constructed in two phases. The first phase will cater to 20 million passengers annually and is expected to be open by 2021, while the second phase of the project will add a further 15 million passenger capacity. When completed T2 will cater to 35 million passengers per year.
The existing facility (T1) will undergo further expansion to accommodate growth until the first phase of T2 is completed. The combined capacity of T1 and T2 will be around 55 million.
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The new T2 will add eventual capacity of 35 million to the airport |
