Bangalore International Airport Limited confident that Bengaluru airport will be second largest in India
Operators of the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), which is currently the third-largest airport in India, are confident that the airport will emerge as the second
Operators of the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), which is currently the third-largest airport in India, are confident that the airport will emerge as the second largest in the country in a couple of years. Hari Marar, managing director and CEO, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), participating in a recent Airport Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA) stakeholder consultation meeting, expressed confidence about KIA occupying the second spot. Overall traffic According to the minutes of the stakeholder consultation meeting with regard to the determination of aeronautical tariff for KIA for the fourth control period (April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2031), KIA was already the second-largest airport in the country by virtue of overall domestic traffic.
Marar said that in the next couple of years, the airport would certainly be the second largest from an overall traffic perspective. New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport is the largest, followed by Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. The minutes of the meeting also stated that KIA currently connects 32 international and 80 domestic destinations with 39 airline partners including 16 freighters. Marar said that BIAL expects passenger traffic to reach approximately 72 million during the fourth control period, with cargo volumes projected at 7,50,000 tonnes. Ongoing projects In the meeting, Mr. Marar presented the fourth control period Capital expenditure (Capex) programme, comprising over 30 projects which include Terminal 2 Phase 2, Western Cross-Field Taxiway (WCFT), Apron stands, aircraft parking stands and taxiway base, road landside and roadway expansion including multi-level car parks and Eastern Connectivity Tunnel.
On the status of the key projects under implementation, he said that the WCFT project is nearly 50% complete and expected to be fully completed by March 31, 2027. He added that all airfield works projects are expected to be completed by December 31, 2027, and the pending works of Terminal 1 upgrade completed in a phased manner by 2027. On the Airport Terminal Metro station, he said that works are expected to be completed by March 31, 2027, and the metro is expected to be operational by July 2027. He also said that the Airport West Metro Station is 50% complete and is expected to be completed by March 31, 2027. Tariff proposal Marar submitted that in the proposed Annual Tariff Plan, tariff rates have been reduced.
The BriefWire