KIA Terminal 2 to start operations on January 15

The second terminal at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) will commence operations on January 15, the airport authorities announced on Tuesday. Star Air will be the first airline to operate out of the new terminal.

The first flight – S5 117 to Kalaburagi – will take off from KIA on Sunday, at 8.40 am and arrive in Kalaburagi at 9.45 am.

Hari Marar, MD and CEO, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), which operates KIA, said the new terminal would 'soon' be opening its doors to other airlines. "This will be done in a phased manner as and when the facilities and processes for the smooth transition of airlines from T1 to T2 are completed," he said.

Simran Singh Tiwana, CEO, Star Air, said the airline's teams had been working diligently over the past few weeks to make the switch from Terminal 1 – from where Star Air has been operating since January 2019 – 'smooth and seamless'.

The airline said starting January 15, all its arrivals and departures would be scheduled from T2. On Sunday, the airline has scheduled another flight – S5 101 – from T2, to Hubballi, at 11.55 am.

The first phase of the Rs 5,000 crore terminal was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November, 2022. In its first phase, T2 is expected to have a capacity of 25 million passengers per annum.

The BIAL has conceived T2 as a 'terminal in a garden' and pitched its design as a dedication to Bengaluru's greenery and its blend of tradition and modernity. It features 180 rare, endangered plant species, 620 endemic plants and 7,700 transplanted trees.