All international flights to Bengaluru will shift to its new terminal from Thursday. The spanking new and eco-friendly Terminal 2 was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi about eight months ago.
All international operations will shift out of Terminal 1 of Kempegowda International Airport, as Bengaluru’s airport complex outside the city in Devanahalli is called. SQ508 from Singapore will be the first international flight to arrive, at 10.55 am on August 31, and will leave back for Singapore at 11.45 am (as SQ509). Indigo will be the first Indian carrier to commence international operations from BLR’s T2, with its flight to Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Calling it “a major milestone”, Hari Marar, MD & CEO of Bangalore International Airport for BLR Airport said that “T2 reflects our dedication to delivering world-class facilities and services.”
"With our expanded international operations, we look forward to strengthening Bengaluru's connectivity to the rest of the world,” he added.
Terminal 2 will handle up to 35 daily international departures by 27 airlines (25 international as well as Air India and Indigo from India), flights ranging from the Middle East all the way to San Francisco, the gateway to Silicon Valley.
The 2.5 lakh sq mt ‘Garden’ terminal, as T2 is often referred to, was among the nine buildings selected by CNN that will “shape the world in 2023.” The new terminal has a capacity of 2.5 crore passengers annually, with a future capacity expansion blueprint to take it to 4.5 crore.
Presently, domestic operations of airlines like Air Vistara and Air India have already shifted to Terminal 2, with the eventual plan being to refurbish and convert the existing Terminal 1 into a purely domestic terminal with a capacity of 3.5 crore passengers.
A multi model transport hub, where passengers can switch between buses, taxis and metro is also under construction between the two terminals.