New Delhi: The newest battleground for India's airlines is Bangalore, not Delhi or Mumbai. The country's two busiest airports, which constitute over 35 per cent of all domestic traffic, hardly have any capacity left which is used by low-cost carriers. That's why low-cost carriers are making a beeline to the city often described as India's Silicon Valley. Since there is little differentiation in the market now, the full-service carriers are set to follow them.
It all started when AirAsia India, the most serious challenger for market leader IndiGo, decided to make Bangalore its hub of operations in the country. In addition, Bangalore in October last year became the hub for Air Costa, a regional airline that connects Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad to Vijayawada, and also flies to Jaipur and Ahmedabad in the north. Bangalore's growing importance is evident in the numbers: from June to the end of the year, as many as 64 more flights will connect the city to existing as well as new destinations. The airlines that plan to mount these additional flights include IndiGo and Jet Airways apart from AirAsia and Air Costa. Bengaluru International Airport Ltd (BIAL) claims the airport witnessed 12 per cent growth in traffic between January and May this year, the latest period for which the figures are available, compared to the same period last year. Overall air traffic in the country during the five months grew by 4-5 per cent.
26/08/14 Surajeet Das Gupta & Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard
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It all started when AirAsia India, the most serious challenger for market leader IndiGo, decided to make Bangalore its hub of operations in the country. In addition, Bangalore in October last year became the hub for Air Costa, a regional airline that connects Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad to Vijayawada, and also flies to Jaipur and Ahmedabad in the north. Bangalore's growing importance is evident in the numbers: from June to the end of the year, as many as 64 more flights will connect the city to existing as well as new destinations. The airlines that plan to mount these additional flights include IndiGo and Jet Airways apart from AirAsia and Air Costa. Bengaluru International Airport Ltd (BIAL) claims the airport witnessed 12 per cent growth in traffic between January and May this year, the latest period for which the figures are available, compared to the same period last year. Overall air traffic in the country during the five months grew by 4-5 per cent.
26/08/14 Surajeet Das Gupta & Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard
