The Mangaluru-Bengaluru air route experienced a significant decline in passenger load in June, leading to reduced flight frequencies. Two domestic airlines cut back their services, with one temporarily canceling both daily flights to Bengaluru. In May, this route recorded 55,886 passengers, closely trailing the Mumbai route, which had 55,375 passengers, both maintaining a 95% occupancy rate.
However, June saw a drop in the Bengaluru-Mangaluru route’s passenger load to 47,841, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s city pairing data. Consequently, the Mumbai-Mangaluru route reclaimed its position as the busiest, with 48,037 passengers.
The Bengaluru route had briefly surpassed the Mumbai route as the busiest for Mangaluru International Airport in March. An aviation insider revealed that IndiGo reduced its daily flights from five to four, while Air India Express temporarily canceled both of its flights in June. In contrast, the Mumbai sector continues to operate five daily flights, maintaining a high passenger load despite reduced capacity since March to ease air traffic congestion at Mumbai airport.
An aviation enthusiast noted the ongoing high demand for flights to Mumbai, indicating a need for more services. Despite high fares, flights on this route are running full. Currently, the Bengaluru route has four daily flights and three weekly flights, totaling 31 weekly flights. The Delhi-Mangaluru sector also saw a dip in passengers, from 12,198 in May to 11,460 in June. Similarly, the Hyderabad and Chennai routes experienced slight declines.