BENGALURU: According to a Bengaluru International Airport Authority Limited (BIAL) announcement issued on Monday, Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR Airport), India's third busiest airport, has emerged as the preferred transfer hub for South India.

BLR Airport currently services 74 domestic destinations (in CY 2021), the most since the airport's inception, compared to 54 routes prior to Covid, and the most among South Indian airports.

These expansions have primarily gone to non-metro destinations, resulting in a significant rise in flights to non-metro routes from 58 percent (pre-COVID) to 63 percent in CY 2021. Furthermore, traffic on non-metro routes surged by 27% between Q1 and Q4 of 2021, reinforcing strong demand on these city-pairs.

Transfer passengers accounted for over 19% of traffic at BLR Airport in CY 2021, compared to 10% pre-Covid. Chennai, Kochi, Hyderabad, and Goa were the key airports that contributed to the large amount of transfer passengers at BLR Airport.

Apart from increased non-metro connectivity, Bengaluru's geographic location and the state of Karnataka's increasing economy have aided in putting BLR as the key aviation gateway of South and Central India. Within a 75-minute flight period, BLR Airport serves a large catchment area of 23 cities.

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