Walk in the garden! PM inaugurates Bengaluru airport's new terminal
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated first of its kind terminal at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru. The development of the terminal incorporated the idea of a "terminal in a garden" as it is filled with lush green landscapes and unique architecture. Considered an architectural wonder, Terminal - 2 (T-2) has been developed at the cost of Rs. 5,000 crore.
The airport is now India's one-of-a-kind
Developed by a Chicago-based architectural and urban planning firm, the terminal is filled with lush greenery to give passengers a distinctive feel, as it has planted native specimen trees, shrubs, and flowering trees. The new terminal has a forest belt outside, spread over an area of 24,000-square-meter crowded with distinguished plants. The area also has multilevel winding paths, and double-story pavilions clad in bamboo.
The new terminal has doubled the airport's capacity
The passenger capacity of Bengaluru airport which is India's third largest, after Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport and Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Bombay, have increased by 25 million a year. In 2020, the single terminal airport, spread over an area of 4,000 acres handled nearly 10.91 million passengers. Terminal 2's phase one will have 90 check-in solutions, 15 bus gates, and 17 security.
Nine customs hand baggage screening points
The new terminal is spread over an area of 2,55,645 square meters, having 22 contact gates. It also has nine customs hand baggage screening points. To accommodate the rising number of passengers, the gate lounge will have 5,953 seats.
Built with local construction technology
The architectural firm said that the terminal whose design is flexible to accommodate modifications overtime was made with two "primary goals - to achieve sustainability through structural efficiency and economy through modularity." It said that it has one of the "lightest terminal roofs in the world at this scale." "It was made out of domestically produced materials and built with local technology," it said.
The terminal will run on renewable energy
"The terminal, which will run entirely on renewable energy, will also capture, treat, and reuse rainwater at the airport," Business Standard has quoted the planning firm as saying. The gardens are designed to use the harvested water, it said. The dining areas will be designed with scented plants and the retail section will house water cascades and hanging gardens.
108-feet-tall statue unveiled by PM Modi
At the airport, PM Modi also unveiled a statue of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda - the 'founder of Bengaluru.' The 108-feet-tall statue is known as the "Statue of prosperity." PM during his visit to the state, also flagged Vande Bharat train on the Chennai-Mysuru-Bengaluru route. He is on a two-day visit to four southern states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.
PM unveils the statue
Why does this story matter?
With the inauguration of the new terminal at Bengaluru airport in Karnataka, it has joined the league of two other similar airports - Hamad International Airport in Doha and Changi Airport in Singapore. The new terminal while boosting the economy of the area will facilitate the easy passage of increasing passenger intake at the region's busiest airport.
