BENGALURU- Satyaki Raghunath, Chief Strategy and Development Officer of Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL), revealed that Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) is set to construct a Third Terminal within its premises in the 2030s, driven by the increasing number of passengers.
He mentioned this during the launch of international flight services from Terminal 2, stating that the first Phase of T2 is anticipated to serve 25 million passengers annually, with 10 million being international passengers and the remaining domestic travelers.
Bengaluru Airport Third Terminal
Currently, KIA manages just under 35 million passengers yearly, and with the addition of 25 million through T2, the overall capacity will reach nearly 60 million passengers annually.
Raghunath stated to TNIE that around 1 lakh passengers use the airport daily, with approximately 15,000 of them being international travelers. He expressed expectations of an increase in international traffic with the inauguration of the new terminal for international flights.
The Development Officer stated that Terminal 1 (T1) would undergo refurbishment soon. Indigo, Akasa Air, Alliance Air, and SpiceJet will continue their operations from T1, while the domestic operations of Air Asia, Air India, Star Air, and Vistara will be handled by Terminal 2 (T2).
Sampreeth Kotian, Operations Head at T2, expressed satisfaction with the response to the terminal, noting that many travelers from across India have started booking international flights through Bengaluru to experience the new terminal.
Currently, T2 hosts 27 airlines, including 25 international and 2 domestic airlines serving 33 destinations. Kotian expressed confidence that these numbers will continue to grow.
T2 Begins Operations
On September 12, 2023, Bengaluru Kempegowda International Airport (BLR) officially began its international flight operations at the newly constructed Terminal 2 (T2), which was built at a cost of Rs 13,000 crore.
The inaugural international flight, Saudia (SV) flight SV866, arriving from Jeddah, touched down at the terminal at 10:15 a.m. Bengaluru International Airport Limited representatives were present to observe the aircraft’s landing.
Following the inaugural arrival, IndiGo (6E) made history by becoming the first domestic airline to operate an international flight from the terminal.
Their flight, IndiGo 6E 1167, bound for Colombo, took off from T2 at 12:10 p.m. To commemorate this significant occasion, a lamp-lighting ceremony was hosted by BIAL and attended by representatives from Saudia and IndiGo.
T2, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 11 of the previous year, is set to play a crucial role in Bengaluru’s international air travel landscape, with the capacity to accommodate over 30 foreign departures.
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