Watch: As Kempegowda International Airport Terminal 2 Starts Operations, Here Is How BIAL Plans To Scale Up

The recently inaugurated Terminal 2 of Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) began domestic operations on Sunday (15 January), with Star Air being the first airline to begin flights from the new terminal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the terminal in November 2022.

According to Hari Marar, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Bengaluru International Airport, T2 would have one airline operationally ready every 15 to 30 days over the course of the upcoming few months.

“By the end of March this year, we aim to operationalise all the domestic airlines that have moved to T2. During this phase we also aim to achieve operational stability because T2 is a large and complex infrastructure with many interconnected and moving parts,” said Marar, reports Indian Express.

"By the middle of this year, the new terminal will be fully open and functioning," he continued, "and by the early part of next financial year, we expect to shift all the international carriers as well to T2."

Phase-1 of Terminal 2 (T2) was built at a cost of around Rs 5,000 crore.

At present, T2 is spread across a built-up area of 255,661 sqm, with a capacity of handling 25 million passengers every year.

During the second phase, the terminal will be expanded by another 4.41 lakh sqm.

As the new terminal becomes operational, various Twitter users and YouTubers are sharing videos of the facility. Readers can watch one of these videos on YouTube.

According to airport officials, the terminal can accommodate 20 million more passengers after Phase 2 is completed. When Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 are combined, the airport can accommodate at least 65 million passengers annually.

The T2 terminal as well as the supporting utilities and access roads were all part of the KIA expansion plan.

This week, the Terminal Boulevard, a 4.4 km long extra access road, was opened to give convenient access to T2.

It enables a comfortable trip without any traffic signals by linking to T2 departures and also directing travellers to T2 arrivals. At the parking lot, drivers can pick up passengers arriving at T2 in their vehicles. There are also complimentary shuttle services running frequently between T1 and T2.

Garden Terminal for Garden City

In Oct 2018, Bengaluru International Airport (BIAL) awarded the contract to L&T’s Buildings & Factories business for construction of the T2 . The contract includes design, procurement, engineering, construction, testing and operations of Terminal 2.

American architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) was selected for providing the design of the terminal. It chose a design for the terminal to reflect the ethos of Bengaluru as a garden city.

Billed as the garden terminal, it features trees, small gardens and ponds.

Passageways throughout the terminal will connect the passengers with nature. The ceiling at the entrance, check-in and security area will feature hanging planted bells. The new terminal will also feature a large indoor garden with rammed-earth walls and waterfalls, which will act as a gateway into the densely-landscaped retail area.

The three-storeyed forest belt is set to offer an unique outdoor experience for arriving and departing passengers. It will be well connected to the shopping area. The forest belt will be viewable from all main indoor spaces.