Bengaluru airport sees passenger volumes surge, records steady cargo growth

BENGALURU: The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in the city concluded calendar year 2025 with a strong performance across passenger and cargo traffic, driven by rising demand, expanding international connectivity, and sustained infrastructure investments. The year reinforced Bengaluru Airport’s role as a critical aviation and logistics gateway, driving economic growth and enhancing connectivity in the region.

Passenger traffic stood at 43.82 million in CY 2025, up from 40.73 million in 2024, reflecting a growth of 8%. The airport recorded its highest-ever single-day count of 1,37,317 passengers on 23 November 2025. Air traffic movements peaked at 837 ATMs on 19 October 2025, while the average daily ATMs for the year stood at 765, reflecting sustained growth in flight activity across the network.

Notably, in October 2025, Bengaluru Airport advanced from third to second place in the number of domestic flights operated among Indian airports. International connectivity gathered strong momentum during the year, with average daily international departures increasing from 38 in CY 2024 to 51 in CY 2025, translating into a 28.7% year-on-year growth in international passenger traffic.

Girish Nair, Chief Operating Officer, BIAL, said, “CY 2025 was a demanding year for India’s aviation sector, marked by volatility alongside recovery, and BLR Airport was no exception. What distinguished the year for us was a disciplined and resilient response, maintaining operational stability, supporting our airline partners, and strengthening network connectivity. As the year progressed, we responsibly and strategically scaled both passenger and cargo operations, with a clear focus on future readiness. This growth reflects not only rising demand but also the trust and confidence airlines and travellers place in Bengaluru Airport as the ‘New Gateway to India’ — a critical hub enabling Bengaluru’s emergence as a leading global city”.

Connectivity, Airlines & Routes Expansion

As of December 31, 2025, Bengaluru Airport was connected to 113 passenger destinations, comprising 79 domestic and 34 international cities. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Pune emerged as the top domestic destinations, while Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, London Heathrow and Kuala Lumpur led the international network. Several new routes were added during the year, with Hindon, Bidar, Jaisalmer, Silchar and Navi Mumbai joining the domestic map, and Dammam, Ho Chi Minh City, Krabi, Hanoi and Riyadh expanding the international footprint.

Air India Express consolidated Bengaluru as its largest hub with approximately 81 daily departures and introduced new international services to Dammam, Riyadh, Jeddah and Kuwait. IndiGo expanded its international presence with Krabi and Riyadh, while Akasa Air commenced daily services to Phuket in October 2025 and added twice-weekly flights to Jeddah in September. VietJet and Vietnam Airlines entered the BLR network with services to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

Lufthansa upgraded its Munich operations to daily services, KLM introduced daily flights to Amsterdam and Japan Airlines commenced daily operations to Tokyo. Gulf Air increased its Bahrain connectivity to double-daily services from Summer of 2025. Looking ahead, Virgin Atlantic added four additional weekly frequencies between January and March 2026, taking the Bengaluru–London Heathrow market to 25 weekly frequencies, with the airline now operating 11 weekly flights from BLR.

Cargo Business Growth

Bengaluru Airport handled 520,985 metric tonnes of cargo in CY 2025, registering a 5% year-on-year increase over CY 2024. The airport achieved its highest-ever single-day cargo throughput of 2,207 metric tonnes on 7 August 2025.

The airport is now connected to 37 cargo destinations through 15 domestic and international cargo airlines. Chicago, Singapore, London Heathrow, Frankfurt and Leipzig emerged as the top export markets, while Shenzhen, Shanghai, Frankfurt, Hong Kong and Singapore led imports. Agri-perishables, pharmaceuticals, auto parts and spares, electric and electronic goods and e-commerce shipments were the primary commodities driving growth.

The Domestic Cargo Terminal developed by Menzies Aviation Bengaluru Private Limited, inaugurated in December 2024, became operational in 2025 and is now India’s largest greenfield domestic cargo terminal by physical infrastructure and capacity. In April 2025, the AISATS BLR Logistics Park was launched, adding a Grade A warehouse spread across 8.2 acres with a built-up area of 370,000 square feet.

Key Highlights of CY 2025:

Total passenger traffic reached 43.82 million

Advanced from third to second place in the number of Domestic flights among Indian airports, in October 2025

Achieved a record single-day passenger count of 1,37,317 on 23 November 2025, with daily air traffic movements peaking at 837 ATMs

Registered a strong 28.7% year-on-year growth in international passenger traffic

Expanded its network with five new domestic and five new international routes

Cargo volumes grew 5% year-on-year, handling 520,985 metric tonnes

Highest-ever single-day cargo throughput of 2,207 metric tonnes