Bengaluru Airport: Terminal 2 To Start International Operations In May, To Become Full-Fledged International Terminal In Two Years

The recently inaugurated Terminal 2 of Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) will house all international flight operations within two years.

Several carriers are scheduled to begin operations gradually in May, according to Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL).

Domestic operations began in Terminal 2 (T2) on 15 January, with Star Air being the first airline to begin flights from the new terminal.

On 15 February, Air Asia began operations at T2 and is the second airline to run from T2.

T2 will become a full-fledged international terminal in two years, alongside a few domestic carriers, and T1 will eventually become a fully domestic terminal. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the terminal in November 2022.

Hari Marar, MD and CEO of BIAL, said the new terminal is expected to start international operations by the first quarter of the next financial year, possibly by May, reports Economic Times. 

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.

Garden Terminal For Garden City

T2 is built on the premises of ‘sustainability’, ‘technology’, ‘innovation’ and ‘art’. 

In Oct 2018, 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.