The Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, saw an unprecedented rise in passenger and cargo volumes in 2022. While the passenger traffic escalated by 82 per cent to reach 27.5 million in 2022, the cargo volumes touched a new high of over 4.12 lakh MT. Domestic cargo handled by the South Indian hub recorded an increase of 8 per cent in 2022.
The airport retained its position as the No. 1 airport for perishables for the second year in a row. It also secured the third rank among the busiest airports handling international cargo in India. The passenger transfer hub is now connected to 16 additional destinations taking the total to 75 across India.
The introduction of a direct route between Bengaluru (BLR) and Sydney (SYD) remained one of the top highlights of the year. Qantas Airways now flies four times a week between SYD and BLR, the first destination in South India linked directly to Australia. Akasa Airlines emerged as another big growth story of the last year. The new airline based most of its fleet in BLR and rose to 30 daily routes to 11 destinations within six months of its launch.
With this, 14 domestic and international cargo airlines are now operating 41 direct routes from BLR airport, making it one of the top cargo-handling airports in the country.
