Everything You Need To Know About The Bangalore Airport!
Since its inauguration in 2008, Bangalore’s Kempegowda International Airport(KIA) has made travel easy for passengers passing through the city.
With its efficiency and infrastructure quality, KIA has become one of the best airports in India and a recognised name globally.
Yet, many of us are unaware of the years of dedication and planning that has gone in making this modern marvel.
So, let’s take a look at this airport’s journey and what it has achieved over the years.
History
Bangalore’s main airport till 2008 was the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited(HAL) airport, which was built in 1942.
During early 2000’s ,as Bangalore grew into the ‘Silicon Valley’ of India and the air passenger traffic continued to increase, HAL airport traffic started rising at the rate of roughly 35% per year.
In fact, between 2006-2007 the airport received 8.2 million passengers, well above its capacity of 3.6 million. Airport authorities had predicted that they would have to face such a situation in the future and were well prepared for it.
In 1999, Airports Authority Of India(AAI) and the Karnataka State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (KSIIDC) signed a Memorandum Of Understanding(MoU) for the development of a new airport in Bangalore. The project, however, kept on getting postponed due to delays in government approval.
Finally on January 2001,the state government set up the Bangalore International Airport Limited(BIAL) with AAI and KSIIDC. Unique Zürich Airport, Siemens Project Ventures and Larsen & Toubro were attracted to this project and invested in it.
After a lot of government delays and other complications, the airport’s construction finally started on 2nd July 2005. It took 32 months to construct the airport and after a few minor hiccups the Bangalore International Airport was inaugurated in May 2008. The HAL airport was closed down immediately.
In 2009 the State Government sent a proposal to the Union Government to rename the airport. This proposal got accepted in 2013 and the name of the airport was changed from Bangalore International Airport to Kempegowda International Airport.
Awards & Recognition
1.Bangalore Airport was given the honour of the “Best Airport in India” at the Skytrax ‘World Airport Awards’ in 2011.
2.The airport received a ‘Gold’ rating in Leadership in Energy And Environmental Design(LEED) from Indian Green Building Council(IGBC) in 2013
3.BIAL received the prestigious “STAT Times International Award” for Cargo excellence in 2014
4.KIA was recognised as the “Best Regional Airport in Central Asia” at the Skytrax ‘World Airport Awards’ In 2015
5.Bangalore Airport won the award for “Best Regional Airport in India and Central Asia” at the Skytrax ‘World Airport Awards’ in 2017.
Interesting Facts About The Bangalore Airport
1.The HAL airport was used by the British Royal Navy to protect India from Japan during World War II.
2.Bangalore airport was the first airport in India to be developed under a “Public-Private Partnership”.
3.The airport has been named after the founder of Bangalore, Nadaprabhu Hiriya Kempe Gowda.
4.It is the busiest airport in South India and the 3rd busiest airport in India, serving more than 20 million passengers annually.
5.Terminal 1 of the airport has been designed by Global architectural leaders “HOK”.
6.Bangalore Airport will be the first airport in India to use a humanoid robot called ‘Kempa’, to assist passengers travelling to the airport.
7.Authorities are planning to make KIA a fully solar-powered airport by 2020.
8.BIAL is going to expand the airport by adding a new ‘Terminal 2’, by 2021. The construction of T2 is already underway and it is said that once this terminal is built, Bangalore airport will be able to handle 65 million passengers annually.
If you want to know about things to do at the Bangalore Airport, look no further. Download the AirWhizz app and get information about different places to eat, shop & relax at KIA along with real-time flight updates the next time you fly.
