Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) is set to increase the frequency of flights to existing domestic and international destinations beginning in July, aiming to enhance passenger footfall. Air India Express (AIE) will launch daily flights to Abu Dhabi starting July 22. Additionally, AIE resumed domestic flights to Bengaluru on July 5, resulting in six daily flights between MIA and Kempegowda International Airport (KIA)—four operated by IndiGo and two by AIE.
From July 22, AIE will also introduce tri-weekly flights between Mangaluru and Bengaluru, adding to the current two daily flights, making a total of 17 weekly flights on this route. IndiGo currently operates three A321 aircraft with 232 seats and one A320 aircraft on this route. MIA anticipates IndiGo will resume its fifth daily flight between Mangaluru and Bengaluru in September, with plans for a sixth daily flight starting September 10, pending approval.
AIE plans to increase the frequency of Mangaluru-Muscat flights to five per week from the end of October.
Data from May showed a 90% or higher passenger load on most domestic flights, with the Bengaluru-Mangaluru route recording 55,886 passengers and Mumbai close behind with 55,375 passengers, both maintaining a 95% occupancy rate. The high demand indicates a need for additional flight frequencies, especially for the Mumbai sector.