Next phase of airport expansion to begin in 2015.

Civil works related to the next phase of the expansion, including the second runway and terminal, at Kempegowda International Airport is expected to commence in early 2015.

'We have started a competition to come up with a good design, which should be finalised by the end of this year,' said B. Bhaskar, Senior Director (Finance and Support Services), Bangalore International Airport Ltd. (BIAL). He estimated the cost of the expansion, expected to be completed by 2017, to be around Rs. 10,000 crore. The KIA handled 12.9 million (1.29 crore) passengers in 2013-2014. It is expected to handle 13.8 million passengers in the current financial year.

After T1 expansion was completed in December 2013, the handling capacity is 20 million passengers per annum. After the next phase of expansion is completed, the airport can handle 55 million passengers. Permission for the second runway is yet to come. The application is being assessed by a committee comprising officials of IAF, HAL and BIAL, Mr. Bhaskar said. The airport handles 1.2 lakh air traffic movements (ATM) annually against its capacity of 1.7 lakh ATMs. When both runways are operational, it will be able to handle 3.7 lakh ATMs, he added.


THE HINDU