With Rs 13,000 crore funds, Kempegowda International Airport set to get bigger, glitzier

BENGALURU: The Bangalore International Airport Ltd announced on Thursday it will pump in Rs 13,000 crore to provide a facelift to the Kempegowda International Airport, which will become bigger and plusher.

The fund will go into constructing a second terminal, a second runway, expand access roads and internal road infrastructure, and build a multimodal transport hub. The second runway — more than 4km long — is expected to be operational by October. BIAL said it would, then, expand the existing runway.

The new runway will have dual, parallel taxiways, cross-field taxiways and rapid exit taxiways, besides category-3B Instrument Landing System that enables pilots to land planes even in dense fog or low-visibility conditions. BIAL managing director and chief executive Hari Marar said T2 alone will cost Rs 3,500 crore. A decision on whether to shift international services to T2 will be made after it’s ready.


KIA to sport elevated approach, exit roads; expansion to create 25k jobs

Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) is set to get bigger and plush with Bangalore International Airport Ltd announcing a Rs 13,000 crore fund for expansion. Funds will be used to build a second terminal, a second runway and a multimodal transport hub.

The second terminal will be able to handle more than 25 million passengers a year, boosting KIA’s capacity to a staggering 45 million. BIAL managing director and chief executive Hari Marar said the expansion will create more than 25,000 jobs.

He said, the forecourt area of the existing terminal will get a makeover by April with the construction of elevated approach and exit roads for T2. During this time, the T1 car parking facility will be moved to newly constructed parking lots.

“The multi-modal transport hub will be the key link between T1 and T2 and, in the future, it will serve as a transport interchange between multiple transport models — Metro, buses and taxis,” he said.

INTERACTIVE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE
T2 will offer passengers a unique, interactive retail shopping experience that will feature a blend of popular international as well as homebred brands, specially curated to grab and hold the interest of passengers.

“The retail experience in T2 will engage passengers in a manner thus far unrivalled at an airport,” BIAL said. “Brands will use interactive elements and personalisation as well as entertainment to attract passengers.”

Stores will no longer be just places to buy products, but social areas that enable learning, fun and relaxation. BIAL said the entire experience has been curated to put time-constrained passengers at ease. “F&B will be a perfect blend of places to relax and excite while also catering to those with short dwell-times,” Marar said.

F&B concepts and design at these outlets will focus on the spirit of Bengaluru, while art and culture of Karnataka will be displayed across various touch points at the terminal — including digital screens at the baggage belt area and a larger-than-life video wall at the arrival hall. BIAL authorities also said the existing F&B area outside Terminal 1 is in the process of a makeover. The revamped ‘retail plaza’ is expected to be inaugurated by the end of this month.

An integrated express cargo and logistics hub, which will cater to timebound e-commerce transactions, will also be opened early next year.