The Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) announced on Monday that the terminal, once completed, would double the existing terminal area of 70,000 square metres, taking its capacity to over 17 million passengers per annum.

“We will have the flexibility to expand it to 20 million, a requirement that would meet the traffic demand for the next few years,” a BIAL media release said. A comprehensive review of the master plan was under way simultaneously.

Larsen and Toubro had been chosen as the construction partners through an international competitive bidding process. Work on the expanded terminal would be completed in about 18 months after the commencement of construction.

Managing Director G V Sanjay Reddy said BIAL hoped that the new terminal would remove hurdles being faced by air passengers and enhance business potential in the City.

Vice-Chairman G V K Reddy said “The decision has come at an apt time, given the rapid pace of growth that this airport is witnessing.”

In addition, a completely new landscaping concept had taken shape beginning from the Trumpet Interchange on NH7, leading all the way up to the terminal building. The renewed landscaping over 49 acre reflected the flora of the City, giving passengers and visitors an ‘essence of Bangalore’ at the airport itself, the release claimed.

The Bengaluru International Airport which completed three successful years of operations on Monday, was handling 33,000 passenger movements and 330 air traffic movements daily.

“The airport, one of the fastest growing in the country, is growing at an annual rate of 18 per cent, a higher rate than the national average of 16 per cent,” the release noted.