by Devesh Agarwal
Bangalore's Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) was renamed to Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (KIAB) at a glittering ceremony on Saturday by Karnataka state chief minister Siddaramaiah and Union civil aviation minister Ajit Singh, along with a battery of ministers, legislators, the Mayor of Bangalore, politicians, bureaucrats, the chairmen of the airport operating company Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL), amongst others.
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| Upgraded terminal 1A at Kempegowda International Airport. The original portion is visible in the middle. |
Along with the renaming, the upgraded passenger terminal, 1A, was inaugurated. The new terminal will be progressively introduced for passenger use starting from January 2014.
T1A, will almost double the floor space of the terminal, and is expected to cater to 20 million passengers. Mr. G.V. Krishna Reddy, the chairman of GVK Power and Infrastructure Ltd., the majority shareholder of BIAL, also indicated that the airport will now commence on planning for a new mega terminal 2, and a second runway that should see the airport build a capacity of up to 40 million passengers.
Upgraded terminal capabilities
The graphic below compares T1 with T1A. Comparisons aside, the new areas have a distinctly superior air. Almost like a five star hotel lobby.
The domestic portion on the west side of the terminal (right side of the picture) will commence operations first. The east side of the existing terminal which serves international traffic at present will remain for international traffic use which the area behind the existing immigration, customs and security will be built for international use.
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| Luxurious bathrooms await passengers in terminal 1A. |
At a future date, not yet disclosed, but expected near March 2014, the new customs, immigration, and baggage reclaim hall will be completed, at which time the east portion of the existing terminal will be converted to domestic use, and the international operations will move to the new east hall (left side of the picture, under the new roof-canopy) and the extended pier will also be used.
In an environment first, the terminal building is LEED Gold certified for green energy use.
Floor plans of Terminal 1A, Kempegowda international airport, Bangalore
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| Level 0, terminal 1A, Kempegowda international airport, Bangalore. Bus gates domestic, international baggage claim |
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| Level 1, terminal 1A, domestic international contact stands, departures. Level 2 domestic close-up day hotel, lounges |
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| Level 2, terminal 1A. Domestic lounges, international arrivals, immigration, extreme right Code F departures and lounge. |
Lounges, day hotel, and food options
Now, there are reasons to get to the airport early. The domestic portion of the terminal will see a dramatic improvement in the lounges, with two of them opening up. Of significance to Citibank
PremierMiles Mastercard holders, and other credit cards, one of the two lounges opening is by Plaza Premium. Overlooking the departure gates, the lounge is very much in the style of Cathay Pacific's
The Wing lounge at Hong Kong airport.
Restaurants are upscale, and focussed towards local cuisine.
There is also a day hotel, located on the third level above domestic departures in the far west of the expanded terminal, offering bed-capsules for travellers wanting a quick rest and shower between flights or for passengers from slightly distant cities like Mysore, Tumkur, Salem, etc. The airport authorities are going to have to work out the modalities with the security agencies for international passengers to use the hotel, or early arrivals from close by cities like Mysore, Salem, etc.
Coming back to the lounge front, international premium passengers are doomed to suffer. The new wing while providing for new lounges, will expand lounge capacity by a small fraction over the existing Oberoi group operated lounge, was is forced to continue well past its contract period, supposed to end in October 2013. Oberoi did not get a contract to operate either of the two lounges, and naturally, their interest in operating the existing lounge is low. Despite the best efforts of BIAL staff, the Oberoi lounge provides a very sorry departing experience to the premium passengers.
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| Security check area shows a distinct five star look and feel of the new terminal. |
Lounges are crucial to the passenger experience at hub airports. While the new international lounges are expected to be more luxurious than the existing, it remains to be seen whether these lounges will match up to the likes at Singapore Changi, Dubai, or even New Delhi IGI airports.
One of the two new lounges will be Plaza. Given its relatively small size, it is not clear whether credit card holders will be permitted entry. There is one lounge area being considered at level 2 of the east most gate (right side of floor plan photo) which is a Code F and can be used by an Airbus A380. Will Lufthansa use this area for creating a dedicated lounge? Let's see.
Photography at the terminal
Airplane photo buffs will be able to enjoy great views at the west end of the airport which should allow for a panoramic view of the apron. Head out near the new gate 1 any time before noon and click some photos. The best time of the year to take photos will be from September to April after which the sun will be north of the airport and many photos will be back-lit.
Photography from the terminal is permitted by the DGCA. You can
read this article for more details and the relevant notifications which we suggest you keep a print out of.
