BENGALURU: The robust growth in passenger traffic continues at the Bengaluru airport with a 34.9% increase in patronage in July 2023 as compared to the corresponding month last year. This is well above the overall increase of 25.8% at all Indian airports in July when 30.12 million passengers flew, reveals the latest Air Traffic Report released by the Airports Authority of India.
The report states that Kempegowda International Airport registered 30,13,675 passengers in July this year as against 22,34,000 in July 2022. The domestic patronage showed a 36.8% increase -- 26,19,755 flyers against 19,14,500 in July last year. The international traffic also shows a 23.3% increase with 3,93,920 flyers.
The Mangaluru International Airport shows a negative growth of the international flyers scene with a 5.9% dip with 45,194 taking off in July as against 48,017 last year. It registered a 20.5% growth in domestic flyers at 1,19,296 as against 99,018 in July. Mysuru had a massive dip of 43.7% in patronage with just 13,053 flyers this July compared to to 23,199 last year.
Kalaburagi had a big dip of 34.7% from 6,588 last July to 4,304 this year, while Belagavi had a considerable dip of 18.9%, down to 21,046 from 25,943. At HAL Bengaluru, it dipped by 15.9%, down to 1,082 flyers from 1,286. Belagavi Airport Director S Thiyagarajan said Spicejet's cancellation was the main reason.
“We expect patronage to pick up from October when Indigo will start operations in Delhi,” he added. On Mysuru airport operations, a source said, “The shift in operations by airlines from Mysuru to other cities mainly due to a huge shortage of aircraft is the key reason.”