Bangalore-Kempegowda International

Photos: DHL Boeing 767 at Bangalore Airport

The Boeing 767 was developed in the 1970’s along with the 757 and first flew in 1981. The aircraft would prove to be a very successful model for the American airframer with over 1100 having been produced and orders still pending for the freighter and military versions of the aircraft. Unfortunately the 767 is not a commonly seen aircraft in …

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Bangalore wants to be India’s first full biometric entry and boarding airport

The main passenger terminal building at Bangalore Airport.

Bangalore’s Kempegowda International Airport is trying to become India’s first fully biometric airport by the end of next year. Under this system, a passenger enters their Aadhaar UID number when booking their travel. The passenger can enter the airport, check-in, pass through security, and board the aircraft using their stored biometric information like fingerprints. There will be no need for …

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Lounge Review: Above Ground Level lounge Bangalore Kempegowda airport

On my Air India trip from Bangalore to London, I finally used the Above Ground Level (AGL) lounge on the domestic side of Bangalore airport. The AGL lounge is located right beside the Plaza premium lounge just after security. The lounge is also located on the mezzanine right beside the Plaza lounge. However unlike the Plaza lounge this lounge does …

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GVK exits Bangalore airport. To focus on Mumbai airports.

The main passenger terminal building at Bangalore Airport.

Debt burdened GVK Power and Infrastructure Ltd will sell the last of its stake in Bengaluru International Airport Ltd. (BIAL), approximately ten per cent, to Fairfax India Holdings, for Rs. 1,290 crore (about $200 million). BIAL is the operator of the Kempegowda International Airport. In an announcement to the stock exchange the company said “This is to inform you that …

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Spicejet first to use Bangalore airport’s new electronic boarding gate

Spicejet Boeing 737-800WL VT-SGK at New Delhi airport.

Gurugram based low fare carrier SpiceJet is the first airline to use the new electronic board gates at the Kempegowda airport in Bangalore. Spicejet’s departure control system is integrated with the e-Gates and allows passengers to board by self scanning their boarding passes, whether on paper, mobile, or smart watches. The system verifies the pass, and opens the gate is …

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Bangalore airport to partially close for Aero India and runway work

The main passenger terminal building at Bangalore Airport.

Bengaluru Kempegowda International airport will partially shut operations from February 8th to 18th due to the Aero India air show to allow for show rehearsals and flying displays. The airport will close from the 8th to 11th February for show rehearsals and from the 12th to 18th for the show itself. The airport operator, BIAL, has informed the airlines who …

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Bangalore airport to close for 2.5 months due to runway exit upgrade

Runway 09 at Kempegowda airport, Bangalore. Image copyright Devesh Agarwal. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

As reported by Bangalore Aviation in mid September, the Kempegowda airport (KIAB) at Bangalore will effectively cease operations during the day for two and a half months, from mid February to end April. As per a NOTAM (NOTice to AirMen) created on September 28, 2016 (received by us today), the sole runway at the airport, 09/27, will close from 10:30 …

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Bengaluru and Mumbai airports plan runway closures. Pax, airlines, fares hit.

Runway 09 at Kempegowda airport, Bangalore. Image copyright Devesh Agarwal. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

As Air traffic grows at an exponential pace, Indian airports are struggling to keep up. Building capacity ahead of demand has never quite been the norm and this is now catching up. Airports like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Goa are severely constrained and in the near term the capacity woes will continue. While terminal capacity and landside capacity can be managed, …

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Uber and Ola cabs get dedicated pick-up zones at Bangalore Kempegowda airport

Taxi aggregators Uber and Ola Cabs have signed agreements with airport operator Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) to offer their customers dedicated pick-up zones at Bangalore’s Kempegowda International Airport. Both the dedicated ‘Ola Zone’ and ‘U Zone’ appear to be located near P2 parking just behind the BMTC Vayu Vajra Bus Stand.     Customers can make their booking soon …

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GVK to sell 33% stake in BIAL to Fairfax

The main passenger terminal building at Bangalore Airport.

As part of its debt reduction exercise, GVK Power & Infrastructure Ltd, which leads a consortium owning Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL), through wholly owned subsidiary GVK Airport Developers, has announced it will sell a 33% stake in the airport operating company to Prem Watsa promoted Fairfax India Holdings Corporation and Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited for Rs. 2,149 crore (approx …

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BIAL moves forward on second runway. Target completion in two years.

Runway 09 at Kempegowda airport, Bangalore. Image copyright Devesh Agarwal. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

According to informed sources, Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) the operator of the Kempegowda International Airport (KIAB), has commenced activities on constructing the second parallel runway on the south side of the airport. The airport is targeting completion of the new runway in two years. The new runway will be parallel to the existing runway, 4,000 metres long, again like …

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Nepal Airlines, Thai AirAsia and Kuwait Airways begin Bangalore service

Kuwait Airways Airbus A300B4-605R 9K-AMA at Frankfurt Main airport. Kuwait Airways Airbus A300B4-605R 9K-AMA at Frankfurt Main airport. Photo by Devesh Agarwal.

Three new foreign carriers are beining services to Bangalore today. The first Nepal Airlines RA-225 was operated by an Airbus A320 (9N-AKX), the service will operate thrice a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Flight Number Origin Destination STD STA RA-225 Kathmandu Bangalore 12:40 15:35 RA-226 Bangalore Kathmandu 16:25 19:40 The second airline to commence service today is Thai Air …

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New voice info system at Bangalore airport in addition to WhatsApp service

The main passenger terminal building at Bangalore Airport.

Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), the consortium operating the Kempegowda International Airport (KIAB) at Bangalore, has installed a custom-developed interactive voice response system (IVRS) to provide airport and flight-related information. The IVRS can be accessed via a toll free number 1-800-425-4425 and is multi-lingual, offering support for English, Hindi and Kannada. The airport already offers information via a WhatsApp service …

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Kempegowda airport once again India’s third busiest

The main passenger terminal building at Bangalore Airport.

Bangalore’s Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) is once again the third busiest airport in India after New Delhi IGI and Mumbai CSI airports. KIA has gone past Chennai to claim the top spot for southern India. KIAB statistics The airport will cross 15.24 million passengers for the fiscal year 2014-15 which ended on March 31, 2015. A 75% increase from the …

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Bangalore Kempegowda airport wins ‘best airport’ award

Bhaskar Bodapat and Hari Marar of BIAL with award at the SKYTRAX World Airports Awards 2015, Paris. BIAL image.

The GVK promoted Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (KIAB) has won the ‘Best Regional Airport in Central Asia’ award by SKYTRAX World Airport Awards 2015, which were held in Paris on 11th March. The SKYTRAX World Airport Awards is the largest passenger satisfaction survey measured across 39 key performance indicators in airport service excellence and quality. The World Airport Awards are …

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Jet Airways begins use of Mobile Boarding passes at Bangalore

Jet Airways Airbus A330-300 VT-JWQ. Image copyright Vedant Agarwal.

In a much welcomed effort, Jet Airways is collaborating with the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security of India (BCAS) and Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) for a pilot project to test the use of Mobile Boarding Passes on its flights. During this trial phase, guests can use the boarding passes on their mobile phones to enter Bengalore’s Kempegowda International Airport …

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Bangalore airport closures due to Aero India show begin today

Runway 09 at Kempegowda airport, Bangalore. Image copyright Devesh Agarwal. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

The Kempegowda International Airport at Bengaluru will be partially closing airport operations starting today due to upcoming Aero India 2015 air show to be held at the adjacent Air Force Station (AFS) Yelahanka. Bangalore airport closure timings Dates KIA airport closure timing in IST (UTC +5.5) Purpose February 10th to 16th, 2015 12:30 – 15:00 (12:30pm – 3:00pm) Practice Day …

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Bangalore Kempegowda airport first in India to be IATA e-freight compliant

Lufthansa Cargo MD-11F freighter D-ALCC being loaded at Kempegowda airport, Bangalore. Photo copyright Devesh Agarwal.

Bangalore’s Kempegowda international airport has been rated an International Air Transport Association (IATA) e-freight compliant airport for cargo operations. The airport is the first in India to achieve the compliance with the operationalisation and implementation of the e-freight process. The e-freight initiative was facilitated by IATA, a global trade association comprising over 240 airlines around the world. As part of …

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BIAL to build second terminal and runway at KIA after it gets EC approval

The main passenger terminal building at Bangalore Airport.

The airport operators of the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) have been formally accorded the environment clearance (EC) for its second stage expansion, which will include construction of a new terminal and a new second runway to the south side of the airport. The approval was granted by the Ministry of environment, forests & climate change …

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Mysore Bangalore airport direct ‘FlyBus’ service now operational

On Wednesday, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) inaugurated its luxury ‘FlyBus’ service which will connect the city of Mysore direct to the Bengaluru / Kempegowda International Airport in Bangalore. The service will be operated by a 40 seat luxury Volvo B9R twin-rear-axle bus, complete with a pantry, chemical toilets, 2+2 semi-sleeper seating with 70 channels of in-seat video. …

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