Vancouver and Bengaluru airports join hands to boost cargo growth

Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru (BLR) have signed a sister airport agreement. The deal puts air cargo growth between Western Canada and Southern India high on the agenda, alongside technology collaboration and a longer-term goal of direct air service between the two gateways.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed on October 16 at an event in BLR’s Terminal 2. Maninder Sidhu, Canada’s Minister of International Trade, attended along with senior representatives of both airports. The agreement covers seven areas of collaboration. One of them is a commitment to move more air cargo between Canada and Southern India, particularly to support the fast-growing technology sectors in both regions.

The two airports together make a sizeable cargo pairing. YVR handled a record 365,000 tonnes in 2025, up 7.4 per cent on 2024, and expects double-digit cargo growth in 2026. It has also committed to doubling its air cargo volumes over the next five years to help Canada diversify its trade and reach more global markets. BLR moved 532,000 tonnes last year, up 6 per cent year-on-year, and is India’s leading gateway for perishable exports.

“As we move at speed to diversify Canada’s trade relationships with partners like India, our trade corridors are seeing real results,” said Sidhu. “At Vancouver International Airport, air cargo volumes grew by 7.4% in 2025, and the latest agreement with Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru lays the groundwork for direct air service to one of the world’s fastest-growing markets. That means more trade, more investment and stronger people-to-people ties between our countries.”

Two-way trade between Canada and India was worth more than $10.9 billion in 2025, and both governments plan to grow it considerably in the coming years. British Columbia is home to one of the world’s largest Indian diasporas, nearly 500,000 people or close to 10 per cent of the province’s population. Bengaluru’s booming tech sector, meanwhile, has built growing business-to-business links with Western Canada and the Western US.

Jeff Nankivell, President and CEO of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, called the MoU “an important first step in establishing direct air connectivity between these two growing trade and transport hubs, which combinedly handled more than 885,000 metric tonnes of cargo and welcomed 71 million passengers last year.”

Albert van Veen, Vice President of Innovation and Chief Information Officer at YVR, said the agreement “highlights the growing importance of the Canada–India corridor and the need for stronger collaboration across the aviation ecosystem to support passengers, cargo, and trade.”

On the technology side, the partners will work around YVR’s Digital Twin and on emerging tools and possible pilot projects that the two teams could develop or trial together. Girish Nair, Chief Operating Officer of BIAL, said the teams would co-develop “next-generation capabilities across digital platforms, data-driven decision-making, and process optimisation,” and share models in smart airport technologies, sustainable operations and terminal performance management.

Victor Thomas, President and CEO of the Canada India Business Council, said linking “two world-class innovation hubs through YVR and BLR will strengthen Canada–India business ties and unlock new economic opportunities.”

On the passenger side, YVR handled 26.9 million passengers in 2025. Skytrax recently named it Best Airport in North America for a record 15th year. BLR handled 44.47 million passengers, with international traffic up 23.9 per cent. Its Terminal 2 is the only airport terminal in India to hold a Skytrax 5-Star Airport Terminal Rating.