Kempegowda International Airport sets ball rolling for T2 expansion, eyes 2028 completion

Bengaluru: The much-awaited expansion of Kempegowda International Airport’s Terminal 2 is set to begin by early next year. 

The project will add 2.78 lakh square metres to Terminal 2 and 40 apron stands (the area where aircraft are parked and maintained), and create a 28,000-square metre walkway providing direct connectivity between T1 and T2. 

The project is expected to be completed by 2028 and will take the airport’s annual passenger capacity to well over 85 million. In 2024-25, it handled 41.88 million passengers, with the number likely to increase in the current fiscal. On average, it handles 1.15 lakh passengers per day, including 70,000 through T1 and 45,000 through T2. 

T1 has already exceeded its designed annual passenger capacity of 30 million. Phase 1 of T2, which became operational in 2023 and has received widespread praise for its aesthetics, is spread over 2.55 lakh square metres and handles over 16 million passengers annually. It is expected to reach its maximum capacity of 25 million in the next few years. 

On Monday, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) invited expressions of interest for an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract for Phase 2 of T2 to accommodate additional passengers and flights. 

“The EPC contractor shall be fully responsible for the end-to-end execution of the project, encompassing but not limited to excavation, civil, structural, architectural, MEPF, ICT, landscape and softscape-related works, airport systems, equipment, apron pavement works, ORAT (Operational Readiness and Transfer) across terminal, airside and landside areas,” the notice reads.

October 15 is the last date to submit proposals. 

“We are aiming to start construction by year-end or early next year. Phase 2 will be an extension of Phase 1, designed and built around the ‘Terminal in a Garden’ theme. With T1 already over capacity and Phase 1 of T2 expected to max out in the next five to six years, Phase 2 will be ready by then. The necessary designs have been prepared,” a BIAL spokesperson said.

According to a source in the know, Phase 2 will come up on the southern side (towards the city). “Airlines will start receiving wide-bodied aircraft in 2027-28 to operate international flights. International traffic is growing rapidly, and there is a need to enhance capacity for flights scheduled between midnight and 4 am,” the source added. 

A dedicated walkway will also connect T1’s extended arm with T2’s Phase 1, he added. The KIA is the busiest airport in south India and the third busiest in the country. Passenger growth has risen by a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14% from 2022-23 to 2024-25. 

BIAL Chief Operating Officer Satyaki Raghunath had told DH earlier that the airport would invest Rs 17,000 crore by 2029 to expand airside, landside and terminal capacity positions. 

Plans are also underway to build a third terminal, which would increase capacity to 110 million annually. 

The expansion comes amid Karnataka’s plans for a second greenfield airport for Bengaluru. Three sites, including two on Kanakapura Road in the south, have been shortlisted. There are also plans to rebuild and reopen the HAL airport for domestic operations. 

An official from the Karnataka State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation, which holds a 13% stake in BIAL, said the second airport plans were independent of the KIA’s expansion.