Bangalore airport update: terminal expansion photos. To complete by end 2013. Code F approvals received.

The on-going upgrade of Terminal 1 continues its progress. The airport operating company BIAL told Bangalore Aviation that the expansion would be completed in phases.

First to be ready will be the new VVIP terminal building, followed by each of the left and right wings and finally the small strip in the front of the terminal where the current escalators are.

Here are some pictures showing the work in progress. I must say, they do look a lot like the initial artist's impressions and video which can be seen here.

The right wing, on the site of the old VVIP terminal, is going to be marginally longer than the left.

Code F aircraft capability

German carrier Lufthansa, has announced, Bangalore will be a destination for its new Boeing 747-8i aircraft, which happens to be Code F due to a massive wing span. On enquiry a BIAL spokesperson informed Bangalore Aviation

For your update on Code F aircraft operation from Bengaluru International Airport please note Bangalore International Airport Limited has done safety risk assessment for Code F aircraft and has received approval to permit regular operations of this type of aircraft at this airport from the Director General Civil Aviation. Additionally Code F compliant stand is being created as part of T1 expansion and it will have the capability to accommodate A380 type of aircraft.

This is good news indeed, as Lufthansa's third 747-8i D-ABYD had its first flight earlier today. As a bit of trivia, there is a mis-match between the registration sequence and aircraft number sequence, as the registration D-ABYB is "number plated" i.e. retired and locked. This was the registration of a Lufthansa Boeing 747-100 operating flight LH540 which crashed at Nairobi, Kenya back in 1974.