Bengaluru airport gears up for major upgrade with construction of new elevated taxiway: Report

Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport will begin construction on a new elevated taxiway in early 2025.

Published on: Oct 5, 2024, 09:22:21 IST

By Yamini C S

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Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) is gearing up for a major upgrade with the introduction of a new elevated taxiway. Scheduled to begin construction in early 2025, this project promises to enhance aircraft movement and reduce waiting times significantly, the Moneycontrol reported.

Bengaluru airport's new taxiway, which will span approximately 1.4 kilometres and feature two parallel paths, will connect the existing North and South runways. (File)

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The Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), which operates and manages the airport, spoke to the publication and said the design for the western cross-field taxiway is nearly finalized, with contractor discussions underway. The new taxiway, which will span approximately 1.4 kilometres and feature two parallel paths, will connect the existing North and South runways. This upgrade will accommodate larger aircraft, including the Airbus A380 and Boeing 777, the report noted.

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The elevated taxiways will also intersect important city-side roads, such as the North Cargo Road and the proposed metro corridor, facilitating smoother operations and commute options. A BIAL official said this infrastructure will streamline airfield circulation and reduce fuel consumption by shortening taxi times.

In addition to the taxiway improvements, BIAL is also tackling seasonal disruptions. With winter approaching, the airport is prepared to minimize fog-related flight delays, the publication stated. The North runway has been upgraded for low-visibility take-offs, allowing simultaneous operations on both runways under poor weather conditions. This change will significantly increase the airport's capacity from 22 to 60 air traffic movements per hour during low visibility.

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BIAL aims to complete the civil works for the North runway by the end of December 2024, enabling full-day operations with the enhanced capacity. The upgrades are expected to alleviate passenger inconvenience, making travel through Bengaluru more efficient than ever.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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