All international flight operations at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) will be relocated to Terminal 2 (T2) starting on 31 August.
Currently, international flights are limited to the 15-year-old Terminal 1 (T1).
The state-of-the-art Terminal 2 of Bengaluru Airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 11 November 2022. At present, T-2 is operating only domestic services. Terminal 2 has begun domestic operations as of 15 January 2023.
The operator of KIA, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), announced that all scheduled international flights will arrive and depart from Terminal 2, beginning at 10.45 am on 31 August 31 2023.
After the shift of international flight operations to T2 on August 31, the first flight to land at KIA will be Singapore Airlines SQ 508. This flight is scheduled to depart from Changi International Airport at 8:50 a.m. and arrive at KIA at 10:55 a.m. However, BIAL did not specify which flight would be the first to depart from KIA after the operations move to T2.
Officials have confirmed that various facilities have been established at T2, including immigration counters, customs offices, duty-free shops, retail outlets, and food and beverage options, reports The Hindu.
Terminal-2
Spanning a built-up area of 255,000 sqm, Terminal-2, for which planning began in 2018, is equipped to handle at least 25 million flyers annually.
The first phase of Terminal-2 was constructed at a total expenditure of Rs 5,000 crore.
According to airport authorities, once Phase-2 is completed, the terminal will have the capacity to cater to an additional 20 million passengers. With the integration of Terminal-1 and Terminal-2, the airport’s overall capacity will reach a minimum of 65 million passengers annually, added the officials.
The new terminal is referred to as “Terminal in a Garden”, and has been conceived as a dedication to Bengaluru, incorporating in its design the city’s greenery, its blend of tradition and modernity, and its primacy as a technology hub.