KIA is south India’s busiest airport and the third largest in the country and the airport recently completed 18 years of operations
| Photo Credit: MURALI KUMAR K
The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) has overtaken Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) to become the second busiest airport in the country for domestic passengers.
According to data from the Airports Authority of India (AAI), during the month of April, KIA handled 31,78,826 passengers whereas CSMIA handled 28,93,286 passengers.
Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport topped the domestic chart with 49,29,982 passengers. Mumbai lost the second spot as some of the domestic traffic shifted to the Navi Mumbai International Airport. The Navi Mumbai International Airport handled 5,24,594 passengers.
In the international sector, CSMIA retained the second spot as it handled 11,53,949 passengers and KIA handled 5,06,309 passengers.
Delhi continues to be the busiest with 17,22,208 passengers. In April, Delhi handled an overall 66,52,190 passengers followed by Mumbai 40,47,235 passengers and KIA 36,85,135 passengers.
During pandemic
This is not the first time KIA has overtaken CSMIA, having bagged the second spot during the COVID-19 pandemic and also in 2025 for a brief period.
In terms of domestic aircraft movement, KIA handled 20,718 aircraft during April and Mumbai handled 19,281 aircraft. The Navi Mumbai International Airport handled 4,355 aircraft.
KIA is south India’s busiest airport and the third largest in the country and the airport recently completed 18 years of operations.
It reached a significant milestone in April, 2026, surpassing 400 million cumulative passengers since its opening in 2008. The airport operates non-stop flights to over 78 domestic and 34 international destinations.
On the domestic front Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Pune are the top domestic sectors. During the FY 2025–26 domestic networks saw additions to Navi Mumbai, Jaisalmer, Bidar, Silchar and Dimapur.
Phase-2 of second Terminal
The Bangalore International Airport Ltd. (BIAL), operator of the KIA, is set to commence work on the second phase of Terminal-2 in another three or four months.
“The design for the project is ready. We have already awarded the contract. The work should start in three-four months from now and should be ready by the end of 2029 or early 2030,” Hari Marar, managing director and chief executive officer, BIAL. told The Hindu.
Published – May 28, 2026 10:04 pm IST
