Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), in Bengaluru. The agreement lays out efforts to further the transit of air cargo between southern India and Canada, and particularly when it comes to supporting growing industries in the two regions, as well as the goal of developing direct air service between Bengaluru and Vancouver. | Photo Credit: File photo
The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) and Vancouver International Airport have signed a sister airport agreement to further operational, technological, economic, and air service connections between Western Canada and Southern India.
The agreement between the two airports is focused on seven different areas of collaboration, including innovation to further support efficient airport operations through the use of technology.
This includes work around Vancouver airport’s Digital Twin as well as emerging tools and potential innovation pilot projects that could be jointly developed or trialled between the two airport teams.
The agreement lays out efforts to further the transit of air cargo between southern India and Canada, and particularly when it comes to supporting growing industries such as the tech sector in the two regions, as well as the goal of developing direct air service between Bengaluru and Vancouver.
“This 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,” said Albert van Veen, Vice-President of Innovation and Chief Information Officer, Vancouver International Airport.
“This strategic partnership establishes a robust framework to advance technology integration and operational excellence by benchmarking against global best practices. By leveraging Vancouver’s standing as a premier international gateway and Bengaluru’s position as one of India’s most dynamic aviation hubs, the collaboration will focus on co-developing next-generation capabilities across digital platforms, data-driven decision-making, and process optimisation,” said Girish Nair, Chief Operating Officer of Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL).
The two airports, in a joint statement, stated that the two-way trade between Canada and India was valued at more than $10.9 billion in 2025, with both governments working to grow volumes considerably in the coming years.
“British Columbia is home to one of the largest Indian diasporas in the world, comprising nearly 500,000 people and representing close to 10% of B.C.’s population. Meanwhile, Bengaluru has seen considerable population growth with a rapidly growing tech sector and increasing business-to-business connections with western Canada and the western United States,” according to the statement.
Published - October 16, 2026 12:17 pm IST