Bengaluru, March 31 : With resumption of international flights to and from India, the Kempegowda International Airport (Bengaluru International Airport) has been witnessing 25 daily international departures, a significant increase from the earlier 10 per day. With the gradual increase in international operations, Bengaluru Airport’s route network is expected to further augment with the resumption of routes and additional flights to cater to the demand, Bangalore International Airport Limited MD and CEO Hari Marar said. Currently, the Airport is connected to 21 international destinations operating through 24 airlines, he added. The Airport will be adding newer routes later this year to Seattle (American Airlines) and will be strengthening its existing route to San Francisco (Air India) with ted Airlines set to launch weekly flights in October, connecting the world’s two biggest tech hubs, Bengaluru and San Francisco, Marar said. To address the expected increase in passenger traffic and make the airport experience more seamless, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), operator of Bengaluru Airport, has deployed automation-enabled technology at various checkpoints like terminal entry, check-in, security check, immigration, and customs, he said. The existing technology such as self-baggage drops, smart security lane with automated tray retrieval system, along with other contactless technology will further improve the overall airport experience, Marar said. Air travel recovery is expected to be faster following the resumption of international operations, he said. While passenger traffic grew by 19 percent in CY2021 (vs pre-Covid CY 2019) due to travel restrictions and cross-border entry, it is expected to grow steadily in the coming months, driven by the strong leisure and business travel demand from Bengaluru city, said Marar said, adding that pre-Covid, the Airport was connected to 25 international destinations, with an average of 40 international departures each day. The domestic passenger traffic recovery has been promising (nearly 80 percent higher than Covid levels), especially during the first three weeks of March this year, Marar said. The domestic Air Traffic Movement (ATM) recovery has been close to 90 percent of pre-Covid levels and is expected to grow further in the coming weeks, he added. Despite the restrictions on international travel and subdued traffic growth in the past two years, the Airport has established itself as a transfer hub for South India, said the CEO, adding that it has the strongest connectivity in South India, connecting 74 domestic destinations. Flights to non-metro routes have significantly increased passenger numbers from 58 per cent (pre-Covid) to 63 percent of pre-Covid levels in CY 2021, Marar said. Moreover, between Q1 and Q4 of 2021, passenger traffic from non-metro routes has increased by 27 per cent, indicating strong demand between Bengaluru and these points, he added. He said in recognition, the Airport was recently conferred with prestigious awards in two categories – Best Airport and ‘Aviation Innovation’ Award for excellence in innovation at Wings India 2022. BDN RJ