Kempegowda International Airport serves Bangalore, the state capital of Karnataka, India. It is situated about 40 kilometres north of the city. Moreover, it is close to the Devanahalli suburb, on 4,000 acres. Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL), a public-private partnership, owns and operates the airport. The Kempegowda International Airport neighbourhood is emerging as a well-planned, welcoming, and green residence with long-term potential value and master planning for workplace hubs. Let’s walk through some details about the airport.
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Overview: Kempegowda International Airport
Kempegowda International Airport is also known as Bangalore Airport. The airport is situated in Devanahalli and has a surface area of 4,000 acres. It is India’s third busiest airport after New Delhi and Mumbai regarding passenger traffic, with daily flights to domestic and international destinations. The airport was opened in May 2008 as a replacement for congestion at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) airport, the city showed that the initial commercial airport. In 2020, Airport Council International named Bangalore International Airport the best airport in the Asia Pacific region.
Moreover, this airport embraced a global facility outfitted with cutting-edge innovation. It provides contactless traveller computations like self-bag dropping, self-boarding, and a variety of other first-rate amenities. However, in 2022, approximately 16.28 million commuters used the Kempegowda airport. There was an increase of 10.91 million passengers in the last fiscal year.
Who Owns Kempegowda International Airport?
The airport is owned and operated by Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL), a public limited company. The Government of India has granted BIAL the right to run the airport for 30 years, with the option to continue for another 30 years. The company is a public–private consortium venture. GVK originally possessed 43% of Bangalore Airport’s stock. In 2016, GVK opted to sell its 33% stake in BIAL to Fairfax Finances for $2,149 million. GVK affirmed this in March 2017.
Lastly, in January 2018, GVK chose to sell the remainder of 10% of its shareholdings to Fairfax Funding for Rs. 1,290 crores, effectively exiting Bangalore Airport. Authority organisations of Karnataka state manufacturing public investment company hold 13%, Airports Authority of India (13%), Fairfax Fiscal (54%) and Siemens Task Ventures (20%) embraced 26% and 74%, respectively.
The Airports Authority of India officially confirmed plans to liquidate their 13% shareholding to raise funding in March 2021. The authority hopes to raise to Rs. 20,782 Crore via air transport between FY 2022-2025. The procedure will start with selling Bengaluru Airport wagers, preceded by Hyderabad, Mumbai, and New Delhi.
How to Reach Kempegowda International Airport?
Some of the major facilities are mentioned below which can be considered for visiting the airport.
Taxi
You can book a taxi in the heart of Bangalore within 10 to 15 minutes. There are numerous prepaid and rental services available for taxis from the outside airport. You can also pre-book them or reserve them at the taxi kiosk.
Bus
In Bangalore, you can take one of twelve bus routes to your desired location. There are numerous direct and regular connections to public transportation from Bangalore International Airport to the city centre. Bus passes are also reasonably priced.
Car rental
A rental car facility is the quickest and most convenient way to explore the city. You can find this service close to the parking lot at the airport.
Train
The closest railway to Bangalore airport is Yelahanka Junction Transit, which is approximately 19.9 kilometres away. You could also use a taxi or bus to the train station. You can conveniently commute by train to various interstate and motorway locations from there.
Terminals
Kempegowda Airport Terminal has only a transit station. This solitary terminal serves both international and domestic flights. Annually, it can manage millions of travellers. Kempegowda Airport is among the fastest-processing airports. It hardly takes 14 to 25 minutes to finish your flight procedure during arrival/departure. Terminal 2 is still under construction, which could expand the airport’s bandwidth to 50 million passengers per year.
In addition, Kempegowda Airport Terminal 1 is categorised into 4 different levels and manages both domestic and international amenities:
- Ground: This level provides separate channels for domestic and international flight arrivals
- First: This level of the terminal is reserved for departure flights. Moreover, on the left side, you will find the departures area for domestic flights and the right side for international
Furthermore, there is a particular terminal for the Hajj pilgrimage that can accommodate over 600 people. This solitary airport terminal handles all Bengaluru arrivals and departures flights.
Facilities
You can get access to the following services at the airport after making your reservations for Domestic and International flights:
- ATMS
- Room for Lost and found things
- Smoking zone
- Information/Help desk
- Free Wi-Fi
- Storage for Luggage
- Restrooms
- Clark Room
- Currency exchange counter
- Luggage carts
- Disabled facilities
- kid’s care room
- Praying rooms
- IVRS(Interactive voice response system)
Statistics
Phase 2 of growth, which includes the renovation of a 2nd runway and a terminal building in two stages, is currently underway. Kempegowda International Airport, when fully accomplished, will be capable of handling 55 million visitors annually. The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) approved the $40 billion proposal in September 2014.
Groundbreaking for the 2nd runway started in February 2016, and the track is scheduled to open in December 2019. It is concurrent to runway 09/27 and measures 4,000 by 60 metres (13,120 ft 200 ft), making it broader than the initial launch pad and capable of accommodating bigger planes. In addition, the new runway is CAT III licenced, enabling landing sites in fog and other dangerous weather conditions.
Terminal 2 is already finished and was officially launched in November 2022, with operational processes beginning in December 2022, due to the COVID-19 disease outbreak, which resulted in a manpower shortage and contributed to work disruptions. International flights will begin once the terminal’s second phase has been completed.
Top Localities Around Kempegowda International Airport
The Kempegowda International Airport road is situated in north Bangalore. It is near a flourishing residential neighbourhood and a popular investment hub. The airport road has drawn the attention of several property developers and mortgage holders because of its closeness to popular areas such as Devanahalli, Yelahanka, Vidyanagar, and Kogilu. The airport road is home to several major residential constructions, including Purva Zenium, Godrej Aqua, Sizzle Nandi Valley, and Assetz Earth & Essence.
FAQ’s
Does Bangalore have 2 airports?
Bangalore has only one airport; Kempegowda International Airport.
Who is the owner of Kempegowda International Airport?
Fairfax India embraced the maximum stake and owned the Kempegowda
International Airport.
Can I stay at Bangalore airport overnight?
The Sleeping lobby, situated in Terminal 1 of Kempegowda International Airport, provides a variety of amenities for business and leisure guests hoping to board their next flight