Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport has launched a new domestic cargo facility with an initial capacity of 345,000 tonnes, expandable to 400,000 tonnes. The facility is operated by Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) in partnership with Menzies Aviation.
Bangalore Airport expands domestic cargo operations with new 360,000 MT facility
Video Credit: Aishwarya Kumar
As part of this project, Menzies Aviation has invested ₹120 crore. With this expansion, the airport aims to handle 1 million metric tonnes of cargo by 2030.
This new facility adds to the airport’s existing cargo infrastructure, which currently has a combined capacity of 210,000 metric tonnes for both international and domestic cargo.
“We have a total capacity of 51 million passengers and 715,000 metric tonnes of cargo. In CY24, we handled approximately 40.7 million passengers and just under 500,000 metric tonnes of cargo. By the end of this year, we expect to reach 42 million passengers, with a possible variation of 10 per cent depending on the coming weeks. We are also on track to surpass 500,000 metric tonnes of cargo,” said Satyaki Raghunath, COO of Bangalore International Airport Ltd.
The airport has observed over 15 per cent growth in passenger traffic, with cargo volumes following a similar trend. Over the past decade, cargo volumes have tripled, increasing from 9 million passengers to 27 million.
By the end of this decade, passenger traffic is expected to reach 80 to 90 million, while cargo volumes are projected to approach 1 million metric tonnes, Raghunath added.
With India’s air cargo sector expected to reach 5.8 million metric tonnes by 2029, this facility is designed not only to meet current demand but also to scale up for future growth, according to Charles Wyley, EVP, Middle East, Africa & Asia, Menzies Aviation.
Founded in 2008, Kempegowda International Airport is primarily owned by Fairfax India Holdings, which holds a 74 per cent stake, while the remaining 26 pent is equally divided between the Government of Karnataka and the Government of India. The airport handles 40 per cent of South India’s total cargo.
Over the past five years, cargo volumes, both domestic and international have grown at a 4 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR).