After months of having weighed up the prospects of Bengaluru and Hyderabad as a new hub for international operations out of South India, Air India decided to bet on Kempegowda BLR Airport. As a significant milestone in its transformation journey to becoming a world-class airline, Air India announced strategic plans to make Bengaluru Airport its second hub in the country. Its collaboration with Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) will not only make Bengaluru a primary gateway to South India, but also make the airport a connecting hub for international departures and arrivals.
PC: Indian Eagle
This move will give an impetus to Air India’s network expansion plans for the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The principal objective of developing Kempegowda BLR Airport into a premier hub is to increase long-haul air connectivity to and from South India over the next 5 years, other than high operational efficiency and elevated passenger experience. The hub-and-spike model that the new Air India hub would be based on will facilitate international departures out of Bengaluru for passengers from the southern parts of India, as well as domestic connections for international arrivals at Bangalore International Airport.
“The South Indian Diaspora in America, for instance, have been vocal about their wish for direct connectivity from Dallas to Hyderabad, Boston to Chennai, Atlanta to Kochi, Seattle to Bengaluru, and Chicago to Hyderabad. The upcoming Bangalore hub of Air India would help fulfil the wish, as flying NRIs to and from their home towns across South India via Bengaluru’s Kempegowda Airport seems more feasible than via the overcrowded New Delhi Airport which see hundreds of flight delays and cancellations due to intense fog during winter every year,” said Sourav Agarwal, the Editor of Travel Beats.
“The success of Air India’s SFO to Bengaluru service may have been a driver for Tata Group’s decision to set up a south Indian hub,” said the chief travel advisor of Indian Eagle, a leading air-ticketing partner of Air India. Evidently, the Tata Group of airlines including Air Vistara and Air India Express, is looking to capitalize on the high passenger load factor for Bengaluru by strengthening their presence at the award-winning Garden Terminal of Bangalore Int. Airport. “The airline-airport synergy is key to harness the untapped growth potential of this sector, according to Air India CEO & MD Campbell Wilson.
Moreover, a dedicated lounge for premium passengers of Air India and Air Vistara would be set up as part of the Tata Group of airlines’ upcoming hub at BLR Airport. The proposed lounge would be located in Garden Terminal (T2) that UNESCO has recognized as one of the most beautiful facilities in global aviation.
Do you think that Air India’s upcoming Bengaluru hub will help decongest New Delhi Airport and save you from the hassles of connecting through the busiest Indian airport? Share your view in the comment section below and subscribe to our monthly newsletter for latest updates that could impact your travel to/from India.
Finally, after being freed of the the babudom and political strangulation from Delhi, AI is realizing that India is more than Delhi and Mumbai. Bengaluru is the right choice as its $ per seat is highest in India. Welcome to new India !
Bad idea. Won’t be flying Air India to Bengaluru for 17 hours and then spend 3 hours clearing immigration and customs . Wait for 2 hours to make a 30 minute flight to Chennai.
I would rather fly American or British Airways 11 hours from Dallas, take a break and stretch. Then fly directly to Chennai.
Not just my thoughts, but will be for many!!