Bangalore Airport to onboard new ground-handling partner in 3-6 months after Çelebi exit

Satyaki Raghunath, Chief Operating Officer, BIAL

Following the termination of its contract with Çelebi Airport Services after the Indian government banned Turkish firms from operating in sensitive sectors, Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) is now looking to onboard a new ground-handling partner.

Satyaki Raghunath, Chief Operating Officer at BIAL, told businessline that the airport plans to bring in a third partner within the next three to six months.

At present, ground-handling services at the airport are provided by Air India SATS and GlobeGround India. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) revoked Çelebi’s security clearance on May 15, citing national security concerns. In response, BIAL shifted Çelebi’s operations to its existing ground-handling service providers. “We’ll go out and get a third partner. We’re trying to figure out the exact process and conditions. We’ll run a tender and finalise it,” said Raghunath.

Kempegowda International Airport, the third-largest airport in India with an annual passenger-handling capacity of 51.5 million, has been experiencing steady growth. In 2024, the airport’s topline grew 14 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y). It handled over 41 million passengers, with international traffic growing 25 per cent, and domestic traffic rising 10 per cent to 36.05 million. International passenger numbers reached 5.83 million.

According to data from CRISIL, BIAL recorded non-aeronautical revenue of ₹480 crore in the first half of FY25, putting it on track to surpass its full-year expectation of ₹810 crore.

cargo facility

In February, BIAL opened a new domestic cargo facility, with an initial capacity of 345,000 metric tonnes, expandable to 400,000 tonnes. This adds to the airport’s existing cargo infrastructure, which currently has a combined capacity of 210,000 tonnes for both international and domestic cargo.

Published on June 5, 2025