BENGALURU: Kempegowda International Airport’s master plan, that aims to create infrastructure to handle an estimated 100 million passengers in the near future, was approved by its Board recently.
An automated people mover (train-like capsule) to transport passengers between the terminals will be a new feature. The USD 2 billion plan could be implemented in the next five years, said a communication from the airport operator.
KIA will see a major expansion of the existing two terminals, apart from earmarking space for creating Terminal 3. Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) quoted Chief Operating Officer (COO) Satyaki Raghunath as saying, “Our goal through the Master Plan update was to make sure we have enough infrastructure on the ground to deal with over 100 million annual passengers and 1.5 million tonnes of cargo, and reserve land and space for it.
The key components of the US $2b expansion over the next five years are Terminal 1 refurbishment, addition of capacity to cater to a further 20 million passengers, and reservation of space for Terminal 3 whenever it is required, to take us beyond 85 to 90 million annual passengers.”
The COO said a comprehensive traffic forecast was conducted to assess the potential of the two-runway system. “Our goal is to accommodate over 100 million passengers, provided we resolve airspace issues and maximise the system’s capacity.
Achieving this will require collaborative efforts, not only from our team but also from the joint working group involving IAF Yelahanka Airforce Base, HAL and Ministry of Civil Aviation, as airspace management cannot be addressed in isolation.”
If the airport achieves significant growth beyond 85 million annual passengers, then the space for Terminal 3 will be earmarked on the eastern side. “Eventually, there will be connectivity with a future automated people mover between the terminals, but that will happen only 5-7 years down the line,” Raghunath explained.
The people mover will ensure smooth transition between the three terminals. The Western Cross taxiway, on which work has begun, will connect the airfield and allow circulation across it.
“At present, we have an Eastern taxiway that connects both the runways. The Western Cross taxiway and associated taxiways will complete our airfield,” Satyaki said.
By the next decade, the airport plans to have 230 stands; it now has 140.
Space was being reserved for a future tunnel from the eastern side to make sure that besides Metro connectivity in 2026, there will be a corridor for Suburban Rail too. The airport was targeting completion of the project within five years, he added.