From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Feb 18: Kempegowda International Airport, operated by Bengaluru International Airport Ltd (BIAL) now connects 61 destinations across India, indicating a positive trend in air travel to non-metro cities.
BIAL was catering to as many as 58 domestic destinations before the onset of the pandemic.
The new additions are Jorhat (IndiGo), Gorakhpur (IndiGo) and Jharsuguda (SpiceJet) that commenced operations in January 2021.
Further cementing its position as one of the best-connected airports in the country, BIAL will have flights to five new destinations — Rajkot, Durgapur (SpiceJet) and Dibrugarh (IndiGo) later this month, followed by Agra and Kurnool in March 2021.
Silchar, Darbhanga, Amritsar, Nashik, and Jabalpur were the other new routes that were launched earlier in FY2020-21 taking the overall tally of new routes for the financial year to 13.
BIAL’s daily average of 270 flights, carrying approximately 30,000 passengers per day, departed to non-metro cities in January 2021.
The enhanced connectivity to regional and non-metro routes from BIAL further accentuates the focus of the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation on improving India’s regional connectivity.
Owing to renewed confidence among passengers in the hygiene and safety of air travel amid the pandemic, there has been a significant increase in passenger traffic to non-metro cities.
A daily average of 270 flights, carrying an average of 30,000 passengers per day, departed to non-metro cities in January 2021.
Meanwhile, the improved regional connectivity has led to a three-fold increase in transfer passengers, further strengthening BIAL’s position as the new gateway to India.
With the geographical advantage that provides fast and easy access to catchment areas of South India and other non-metro airports, BIAL is driving the growth of the region, with an increase in the share of non-metro passengers from 55% in FY19-20 to 64% in FY20-21.
These factors have enabled BLR Airport faster recovery of air traffic movements and passenger traffic as compared with other major airports in India.