BLR Airport crosses 400 mn passenger milestone, records strong FY 2025-26 growth

The Kempegowda International Airport here crossed the 400 million passenger milestone in April since commencing operations, as strong international traffic growth and cargo expansion helped drive overall performance in FY 2025-26, officials said on Saturday.

This was noted at the 134th Board Meeting of Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), chaired by Shalini Rajneesh, Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka, while reviewing the key achievements, performance highlights, and developmental initiatives undertaken by Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru (BLR Airport) during FY 2025-26, they said.

According to an official statement, during FY 2025-26, BLR Airport handled 44.47 million passengers and 532,000 metric tonnes of cargo, reflecting strong and sustained momentum across both passenger and cargo segments.

Growth was driven by a significant surge in international passenger traffic, steady domestic demand, and strengthening cargo operations, it said.

According to officials, international traffic led the growth, rising 23.9 per cent to 7.23 million passengers, while domestic traffic grew 3.3 per cent to 37.24 million passengers, taking overall passenger traffic up 6.2 per cent year-on-year.

"This performance, despite geopolitical and sectoral headwinds, reflects Bengaluru's increasing global relevance as a business and innovation hub. BLR Airport currently offers non-stop connectivity to more than 78 domestic and 34 international destinations," the statement said.

It said operational performance scaled in line with traffic growth, with 280,800 air traffic movements recorded during the year, a 4.5 per cent year-on-year increase.

Average daily movements stood at 769, with a peak of 837 movements recorded in a single day. Passenger traffic also reached a record high, with 139,111 passengers handled in a single day, officials said. -- PTI