The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), Bengaluru, has completed 100 days of operations post the COVID-19 induced lockdown, reconnecting with 49 of 58 domestic city pairs and achieving 84% of the pre-COVID-19 domestic network since the resumption of operations.
The Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) permitted operations from May 25 after two months of lockdown. With the relaxation of State regulations and addition of capacity by airlines, KIA is expecting the numbers to increase in the coming days and months.
According to Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), KIA has welcomed 1.4 million domestic passengers with 15,658 Air Traffic Movements (ATMs). “As compared to July 2020, there was 39% growth in ATMs and over 47% growth in passenger traffic in August 2020, indicating a positive trend with successive measures to unlock India’s economy,” a BIAL spokesperson said.
According to BIAL release, out of the total number of passengers who travelled from Bengaluru, 13% were to Kolkata, while 11 % travelled to Delhi and 6% to Patna. “Passenger movement was highest towards the eastern/north-eastern regions of India at 33.7%, followed closely by South India at 30.9%,” a release by BIAL said.
According to a Voice of Pax survey conducted by BIAL to understand passenger perception towards air travel, more than 90% considered airports safer than any other location, and air travel safer than any other mode of transport. Based on the response of passengers, initiatives such as ‘Touch-free Virtual Information Desks’ have been introduced, the release said.
“The technologically-enabled parking-to-boarding contactless journey that minimises all physical contact was developed and rolled out in just two weeks. Facial recognition for self-boarding, pioneered and rolled out earlier at KIA, as well as various sanitisation and hygiene measures ensured that passengers continued to have a seamless, touch-free airport experience,” the release stated.