The Bangalore International Airport's (BIAL) board has approved a USD two billion master plan update for Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), to be executed over the next five years. This plan aims to prepare the airport for future growth by accommodating over 100 million annual passengers and 1.5 million tonne of cargo.

Chief Operating Officer of BIAL, Satyaki Raghunath confirmed that the approval came in November 2024. The update focuses on both short- and long-term capacity planning. "Our goal through the master plan update was to make sure we have enough infrastructure on the ground," he stated.

The expansion includes several key projects: the refurbishment of Terminal 1, the second phase of Terminal 2, and reserving space for Terminal 3. Construction will also cover the western cross taxiway, associated taxiways, apron work, and increasing the number of aircraft stands from the current 140 to over 230.

Additionally, BIAL has plans for an automated people mover to connect terminals if passenger traffic exceeds 85 million annually. “Terminal 3 will be located on the eastern side. Eventually, there will be connectivity with a future automated people mover between the terminals, but that will happen only five to seven years down the line,” said Mr. Raghunath.

This update follows KIA’s last master plan revision in 2018-19, which evaluated the potential of the two-runway system through a comprehensive traffic forecast.