BIA to record 14 pc more passenger traffic this year

BIA to record 14 pc more passenger traffic this year
S Praveen Dhaneshkar, Mar 2, Bangalore:

With yet another international destination now being connected to the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA), following the launch of Air China's direct flight connecting Chengdu-Bangalore on Sunday, the airport is expected to witness a growth of 14 percent in 2009-10.


According to Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) Hari Marar the airport that commenced its commercial operations on May 24, 2008 currently handles 300 air traffic movements (ATM’s) approximately per day and would see a further upward growth.

“Come summer 2010 (from March 28) the daily ATMs are expected to increase to 310-315 per day, with domestic operations constituting 87 percent and international 13 percent of ATM’s. We expect passenger traffic trends that recorded a growth of 14 percent in the last financial year (2008-09) to continue this year too,” said Marar.

The BIA now connects the City and the State to 20 international destinations directly apart from other connecting flights. It is also connected to three international freighters. The BIAL had recorded 9.3 million passengers from January to December 2009.

“The airport is also looking at adding two new international carriers every year, with a focus on connecting the City to Africa and the US directly,” said a BIA spokesperson.
The increased focus across airlines is to tweak frequencies in line with yields and projected demand to create a sustainable operation and increased aircraft capacities. Hence creating new passenger demand for the airport in the near-to-midterm that is primarily expected to come from airlines based in Asia and the Middle East. Air traffic usually sees a surge in the months of December and May as they are holiday seasons, the spokesperson added.

BIA recorded 1,76,319 international and 7,35,600 domestic passengers respectively during January 2010.

International passenger airlines at BIAL are: Air France, Air India, British Airways, Air China, Emirates, Air Arabia, Indian, Kingfisher Airlines, Dragon Air, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Air Mauritius, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Thai Airways, Tiger Airways, Sri Lankan Airlines and Oman Air.