Bengaluru: Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) concluded calendar year 2025 with a strong performance across passenger and cargo traffic, driven by rising demand, expanding international connectivity, and sustained infrastructure investments, a release has said.
The year reinforced the 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 CY2025, up from 40.73 million in 2024, reflecting a growth of 8 percent. 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.
In October 2025, the 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 CY2024 to 51 in CY2025, translating into a 28.7 percent 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 KIA 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 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 the airport.”
As of 31 December 2025, the 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 city 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 the city.
Cargo business growth
The KIA handled 520,985 tonnes of cargo in CY2025, registering a 5 percent year-on-year increase over CY2024. The airport achieved its highest-ever single-day cargo throughput of 2,207 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.Bottom of Form
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.
Looking ahead
In 2026, KIA will continue to focus on strengthening global connectivity, expanding airline partnerships and scaling up capacity across both passenger and cargo operations, with the objective of enabling seamless travel experiences and supporting the long-term growth of Bengaluru as a global aviation and business hub, the release said in conclusion.
