Bangalore International Airport Reviews, Terminals & Facilities
Bangalore International Airport or Kempegowda International Airport is located in Bangalore, capital of Indian southern state Karnataka. Being spread over an area of 4,000 acres, the airport is located about 40 km north of the city near Devanahalli. The operations of the airport are being managed by BIAL i.e. Bangalore International Airport Limited.
The airport is named after Kempe Gowda I (founder of Bangalore). It has become Karnataka’s first fully solar-powered airport.
Kempegowda International Airport is the third busiest airport in India after the airports of Delhi and Mumbai. The lesser known fact about KIAB is that it has received the Gold rating in LEED India from the Indian Green Building Council for energy efficient, eco-friendly and sustainable terminal building design. The Bangalore airport code is BLR.
One of the different facts about the airport is that it operates a single terminal either for domestic and international flights. The airport handles more than 22.2 million passengers in the year 2016. And it is expected that it may handle over 40 million passengers per year.
TERMINALS INFO:
Bangalore domestic airport has the following terminals to regulate its operations:
Terminal 1:
The Terminal 1 at the airport supports both domestic as well as international operations. It can handle 20 million passengers on annual basis. Passengers can find the check-in and baggage reclaim on the lower floor and all the departure gates on the upper floor.
Talking about the gates, there are twelve gates in total. The gates 1,2,7,8,9,15 are the six domestic gates and gates 16, 17, 18, 21-22, 23-24, and 25-26 are the international gates. The gates 25-26 serve the Airbus A380 (world’s largest passenger aircraft).
You can also avail the services of lounges at Above Ground Level and Plaza Premium Lounge, which also operates a day hotel in the terminal.
Terminal 2:
Terminal 2 is said to be a new expansion at the airport, being built at under the second phase of the airport. Being designed by American firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, it supports two phases. The terminal first will cater to 15 million passengers annually by 2022 and 55 million with the completion of the second phase of the terminal.
HOTELS:
Passengers can pick the following Bangalore airport hotels for their stay and all of them have located nearby the airport.
| S.No. | HOTELS | LOCATION | FEATURES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taj Bangalore | 0.4 km from Kempegowda International Airport | • Offers an outdoor pool and sun terrace |
| 2 | Plaza Premium Airport Transit Hotel | 0.3 km from the Airport | • Features free Wi-Fi access and private parking |
| 3 | Signature Club Resort | 3.3 km from the Airport | • Offers an outdoor swimming pool |
| 4 | Airport Residency Bangalore | 4 km from the Airport | • Features free Wi-Fi and private parking • It also offers accommodation near Kempegowda International Airport where guests can enjoy the on-site restaurant |
| 5 | Fiestaa Resort n Events Venue | 5.5 km from the Airport | • Features free Wi-Fi and an outdoor pool |
| 6 | Shivas Gateway | 6.8 km from the Airport | • Features free Wi-Fi and private parking along with the accommodation in Bangalore |
| 7 | Orange Comforts | 6.9 km from center Airport | • Features free WiFi throughout the property and rooms with air conditioning |
| 8 | Airport Residency | 8 km from Kempegowda International Airport | • Offers comfortable rooms with private bathroom facilities just 5 km from Bangalore International Airport |
FACILITIES:
Buggy Service:
The Bangalore International Airport also supports the Buggy service for the senior citizens, women with children and persons with reduced mobility in mind. You can avail this service at the Outer Curb on the Departure side. At the International Security Hold Area, there is a second buggy is stationed.
Wheel Chair Access:
There is also the wheelchair facility for the persons with reduced mobility so that they can have a unique and positive traveling experience.
Duty-Free Shopping:
For all the shopaholic travelers, there is the availability of duty-free shopping at the airport.
- Bangalore Airport Arrivals:
1) Sound and Vision
2) Duty-Free Stores
- Bangalore Airport Departures:
1) Sound and Vision
2) Duty-Free Stores
3) Duty-Free Store Express
Lounges:
- VIP Lounge
You will find the new VIP Lounge on level 1 of the terminal at Kempegowda International Airport. It serves its services to passengers of both domestic and international dignitaries.
Talking about the features, you can find comfortable seating, Wi-Fi facility, Televisions and Flight Information Display Systems and more facilities at this lounge. It is available 24 hours and in a single time, around 20 guests can sit over here.
- Plaza Premium Lounge:
Plaza Premium Lounge is one of the world’s best airport lounge provider. It brings its world-class airport services to Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru. It is also the first ever Pay-in Lounge at Kempegowda International Airport.
- Above Ground Level Lounge:
The Above Ground Level Lounge is also available at the domestic and international terminals of Kempegowda International Airport. Travelers of all classes can get the glimpse of this lounge. The design of this lounge is modern yet inspired from the traditional roots. It features stuff like a fully equipped bar, a wide choice of tea, coffee and soft drinks, free high-speed WI-FI, recharging stations, wide television screens, 24×7 coffee shops, and more.
Restaurants:
Urban Food Market KFC Café Coffee Day - India's favorite coffee shop
Tiffin Centre - South Indian Delicacies La Tapenade – Mediterranean café 7 Tawas
Delicacies of India Chai Point Dunkin Donuts
Hatti Kaapi - Authentic South Indian Coffee California Burrito Taste of India Express
Puro Gusto
Bar 380
Subway - Fresh and Healthy Sandwiches
Cargo Facilities:
The airport supports three cargo terminals in total.
- 1st terminal: Operated by Menzies Aviation Bobba Pvt Ltd – Supports 150,000 tonnes of cargo
- 2nd terminal: Operated by Air India SATS – Supports 200,000 tonnes of cargo
- 3rd terminal: Operated by DHL and Blue Dart Aviation
Lost & Found Department:
Items found are retained for a period of three months from the date of deposit. Stuff like Bank cards, chequebooks and passbooks are disposed of after 72 hrs. Perishable Items will be disposed within 24 hours.
Parking:
Passengers can get the glimpse of the Bangalore airport parking facilities at the Kempegowda Bangalore International Airport at 3 levels:
- P1: For two-wheel
- P2: It is the Budget Parking.
- P3: It is the Premium Parking.
- P2 and P3 support parking area with parking slots for Electric Cars.
ATMs:
Passengers can enjoy the ATM facilities throughout the terminal as there are plenty of them.
The Day Hotel:
Travelers all around the world can accommodate in the Day Hotel which features cozy rooms and a plenty of services. It has around 20 rooms of different categories as per the needs of the passengers. You can find it at the second level of the Terminal. It is opened 24 hours 7 days week.
Transportation:
Talking about the BLR airport transportation, you have the following options:
- BY ROAD:
The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation provides the bus transportation to major parts of the city through the Vayu Vajra service. It is operated using a fleet of Volvo B7RLE buses.
Passengers can also get the glimpse of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation which operates a nonstop bus service called “Flybus” and connect the airport to other parts of the state. Bangalore airport bus service connects the airport to other parts.
- BY RAIL:
A Namma Metro link between Bangalore city and the airport is planned. A high-speed rail link was previously considered and went as far as obtaining approval from the Union Government. The project was eventually scrapped because of high costs and the lack of stops along the line.
Bangalore International Airport Reviews:
- Shyam Sundar:
Bangalore is a newly built airport a bit far from the city, but well planned and spacious. The staff was well groomed and immigration staff was also impressive. On comparing with other airports, I found Bangalore is far better than others. Though the airport is a bit far from the city, it is well connected to the city through AC public transportation buses. Overall, it is a very nice Indian airport to be happy about.
- A Radianta:
I took a public bus service from city to the airport because it is little far from city center. As I entered the terminal building, I find it very clean and comfortable. It took only 5 minutes for the security checks and I immediately went to the boarding gate. I purchased few food items which were good quality. Wi-Fi has good speed but it is limited to 45 min. I think seating needs a little improvement and more changing points should be installed. I think Bangalore airport handles more passengers than capacity. So it needs a new terminal and runway.
- Shashank Sapre:
I lost my suit jacket at the waiting lounge of Bangalore airport while boarding a flight to Pune. Talking about the Lost & Found Section, swift action was taken by their team on my request and I was immediately informed that they have found my jacket. I got it back in good condition without any problem. Being a Belgian national, I have traveled all around the world and at times of lost baggage in the US and Europe, it is still not located. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised at the quick action taken by BIAL. I am very thankful to the BIAL Lost & Found Team who handled it very efficiently.
ALSO READ:
