BLR: A 'Garden' Check-in

Phase one of Bengaluru Airport (BLR)'s Terminal 2 was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 11. Recognized as the best in India at the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2022, it was awarded the prestigious title of the Best Regional Airport in India and South Asia after a global survey that included air passengers, who said that it had the best service. Now with the addition of T2, it is looking to ramp up its act a notch higher. A special report.

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The 255,000 sq m facility developed by Bangalore Airport Limited International (BIAL) is an ode to the city of Bengaluru. The ponds, the gardens and the city that it was. The airport is structured around four key pillars-the 'terminal in a garden, technological leadership, environmental and ecological stewardship and celebrating Karnataka's rich heritage and culture.

Terminal 2 is to be developed in two phases to handle 25 million passengers per annum in Phase 1 and 45 million passengers per annum in Phase 2. It's been designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) architects and its civil construction contract was awarded to Larsen & Toubro (L&T)Along with Doha's Hamad International Airport and the Changi Airport in Singapore, BLR is perhaps the third airport worldwide that is built on the theme of nature, greenery, gardens and lush greens inside their terminals.

"Sustainability and wellness have been critical considerations at each stage of the design process," said Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the Chicago-headquartered architectural and urban planning firm that has designed Bengaluru airport's new terminal. "The building's extensive outdoor areas were designed to maximise wellness before the Covid-19 pandemic; today, the wisdom of integrating generous outdoor spaces into an airport terminal and transportation hub is even more evident."

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