BENGALURU: Thursday marked an exceptionally busy day at the Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower of Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), as the facility witnessed its highest number of arrivals and departures since its inauguration 16 years ago, with 782 Air Traffic Movements (ATMs).
Thanks to soaring passenger traffic and the launch of new routes by airlines, the airport achieved this significant milestone. The previous record, which occurred during the pre-Covid boom, has now been surpassed, according to multiple airport sources.
KIA, the third busiest airport in India, commenced operations on 24 May 2008.
A source from Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), the airport operator, told TNIE, "Our highest single-day ATMs of 782 was recorded on 17 October 2024. The capacity addition by airlines is the reason for the highest ATMs recorded on Thursday. With the festival season in place, we expect this record to be broken shortly—during the Diwali weekend."
The previous single-day record, also set this month, was 770 movements on 11 October. "It has crossed the pre-Covid record of 750 movements, which was registered on 11 January 2019," the source added.
Originally opened with just one terminal and one runway, KIA handled 9 million passengers in its first year of operations. With two runways and two terminals now in place, the airport is targeting 40 million passengers this fiscal year, an airport official announced when the milestone of 100 destinations directly connected to Bengaluru was reached on 1 September.
Airlines Boost Operations
India’s largest airline, IndiGo, currently operates over 200 daily departures from Bengaluru. Among its recent additions are direct flights from Bengaluru to Jabalpur and Nashik, which were launched on 1 September. A source stated, “IndiGo launched daily direct flights between Bengaluru and Abu Dhabi on 1 August. It will also introduce direct flights to Mauritius starting 19 November, with four flights per week.”
A source at Air India added that the airline has expanded its fleet in Bengaluru over the last three months. "Air India has added flights from KIA to Trivandrum, Pune, Kolkata, and London Gatwick. Air India Express has introduced services to Indore, Vijayawada, and Abu Dhabi."
ATC Upgrade on the Horizon
As air traffic continues to grow, KIA’s ATC is set for a massive upgrade to handle the increase in ATMs and incorporate the latest communication equipment.
With the festive season approaching, airport officials anticipate further records to be set as demand continues to rise.