Terminal expansion at Mangaluru airport to raise capacity

Mangaluru: Mangaluru International Airport broke ground on Wednesday for major expansion of its integrated terminal. The aim is to increase annual passenger handling capacity from 2.5 million to 5.2 million across the next three years.

Modern technologies and enhanced infrastructure will enter the expanded terminal to supply greater convenience for passengers while raising operational efficiency for airline partners.

The existing terminal measures 48,574 square metres and was designed to handle approximately 2 million passengers annually. It has already surpassed its intended capacity. The airport handled 2.55 million passengers in FY 2025–26, showing continued growth in air-travel demand. Expansion on the east side of the existing terminal will add 27,100 square metres of space.

Passenger traffic has increased by nearly 42 percent over the last three years, rising from 1.79 million passengers in FY 2022–23. Based on current trends, traffic is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of approximately 9 percent and cross the four-million-passenger mark by FY 2030–31. The addition of 27,100 square metres of space and modifications to the existing 48,574 square metres of space will support projected passenger growth by the end of the current decade and beyond.

Growth is driven by Mangaluru’s emergence as a key commercial, industrial, educational, healthcare, start-up and business hub in the region. As headquarters of Dakshina Kannada district, which has one of Karnataka’s highest per-capita incomes after Bengaluru, the city continues to strengthen its position as an important economic centre.

With passenger volumes increasing steadily, the proposed capacity augmentation will be critical to maintaining service standards and ensuring a seamless travel

experience.

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The Hans India