The access road from the trumpet interchange to the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) will be upgraded to a 10-lane road.
The Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), the operator of KIA, is planning to expand the existing access road to the airport from the trumpet interchange from two lanes to five lanes on either side.
An elevated corridor will also come up on the stretch connecting the proposed Terminal 2. The existing green spaces on either side of the road are likely make way for the additions.
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Chief Operating Officer of BIAL Javed Malik said provisions will be made to provide space for the Namma Metro project while upgrading the infrastructure, adding that the proposed upgradation was being done keeping in mind future growth of the airport. “The parallel road towards the airport will be widened by five lanes (each), and it is a significant upgradation enabling traffic flow in the coming years,” he said.
Mr. Malik said that infrastructure will be put in place in advance to achieve the capacity of the airport to handle 55 million passenger annually by 2030. At present, a majority of vehicles heading to and back from the airport use this road, as it connects the airport to the National Highway 44.
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Simultaneously, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has plans to extend the Namma Metro from Nagawara to KIA. There was a proposal to build two stations in the airport campus. However, Mr. Malik said the location for the two stations is yet to be finalised.
17% of cargo exported from KIA is pharmaceuticals
Pharmaceutical products account for 17% of the total cargo exports handled at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA). More than 70% of the pharmaceuticals are exported to USA, UK, Germany and other European countries, officials said.
The airport currently handles 10,000 metric tonnes of exports per month out of which 70% constitutes food and other perishable items. The airport also handles import business of 100 tonnes per month, which include chocolates, ice cream and other products.
A BIAL sources added that it has started receiving salmon from Norway due to growing demand from restaurants in the city.
On an average, the airport receives shipments from 1,000-odd trucks, including from other cities like Hyderabad, Tirpur and Visakhapatnam. The BIAL will come with a truck parking facility with various amenities, like service stations and fuel stations, the official added.