Bengaluru: A Kolkata-bound traveller has triggered fresh discussion on Bengaluru’s worsening traffic congestion after claiming that his journey from HSR Layout to Kempegowda International Airport took longer than his flight to Kolkata.
The traveller, identified as Manish Kumar Singh, shared a video on Instagram while travelling by car to the airport. In the video, he questioned the city’s transport planning and highlighted the amount of productive time people lose due to lengthy airport commutes.
Airport commute longer than the flight
According to Singh, travelling from Bengaluru city to the airport typically takes between two-and-a-half and three hours, depending on traffic conditions. In comparison, his flight from Bengaluru to Kolkata was expected to take around two hours and 20 minutes.
He remarked that it had taken him more time to reach the airport than it would take to fly nearly 2,000 kilometres to Kolkata, raising concerns over the city’s transport infrastructure.
Compares Bengaluru with global cities
Singh compared Bengaluru with major international cities such as New York and Chicago, where airports are often located outside city centres but are connected through efficient road and public transport networks.
He argued that in many global cities, passengers can reach airports from most locations within 30 to 40 minutes, whereas Bengaluru residents frequently spend several hours navigating traffic.
Calls for better urban planning
The traveller said transport connectivity should be prioritised before developing large infrastructure projects such as airports. According to him, cities should be planned in a way that allows people to travel efficiently rather than spending hours on congested roads.
His video, captioned “Our city planning is in total mess… Cities are not solving troubles of people but creating a bigger trouble,” has received widespread attention on social media.
Many users agreed with his observations, while others pointed out that passengers also need to arrive at the airport around two hours before departure, making the total travel time even longer.
Although the claims have not been independently verified, the video has once again highlighted growing public frustration over Bengaluru’s traffic congestion and the need for faster, more efficient connectivity to the city’s international airport.