Expanded Kempegowda International Airport takes off

December 15, 2013

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Bangalore, Dec 15: Bengaluru International Airport on Saturday formally became Kempegowda International Airport (KIA).

The renaming, in honour of the city's legendary founder, also marked the launch of the airport's expanded, feature-packed terminal-1A with a capacity to cater to 20 million passengers annually by 2017.

The terminal 1A, inaugurated by Union Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh, has a total floor area of 1,50,000 square metres, more than double the current area of 73,347 sq metres. It comprises 86 check-in counters, 24 departure emigration and 24 arrival immigration counters, 13 new restaurants, 25 retail outlets, a day hotel and more.

It also boasts of 15 boarding bridges, including a Code-F stand to accommodate an Airbus A380, 13 baggage reclaim belts and 48 security consoles.

New VIP Terminal

The expansion also includes a new VIP Terminal of 10,000 sq ft and a new high-tech Airport Operational Control Centre. However, all the new facilities will be open to the public only in January 2014.

The entire Terminal 1A will soon undergo a security sweep by the Central Industrial Security Force before getting operationalised. As Chief Minister Siddaramaiah unveiled the airport's new identity in an ambience designed to celebrate Karnataka's culture, the airport promoter, the GVK Group drew attention to its further expansion plans.

The plan includes a second terminal and a second runway, which will address the demands of 45 million passengers till 2035. “The new terminal will reach its capacity in the next five years. We will submit our further expansion plans to the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) Board and the Government of India. Unless we do that planning fast, the constraints faced by the airport in Mumbai will happen here too,” said GVK Reddy, Co-Chairman, BIAL.

KIA's expansion was in tune with India's growing domestic aviation market, the second fastest in Asia. Union Civil Aviation Secretary K N Srivastava urged the State Government to reduce the value-added tax on aircraft turbine fuel from 28 per cent to 5 per cent to capitalise on this growth.

“This would substantially lower the costs, increase the passenger traffic, boost the airport's competitiveness and make Bangalore a robust aviation hub,” he said. Siddaramaiah later promised to consider the demand seriously.

The connectivity between the KIA and the City has to be fast-tracked. “The State has been talking about exclusive road and rail links to the airport since 2004-05. The pace has been slow. The current NH-7 connectivity alone will not suffice as passenger traffic rises,” said Srivastava.

Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister M Veerappa Moily said the State could emulate the multi-modal transport system planned for the Hyderabad airport, involving the Andhra Pradesh Government and the Railways.

“It is a doable plan,” he said, reminding the chief minister of an earlier proposal for a six-lane road linking International Tech Park to the airport.

Kempegowda statue

A statue of Kempegowda is soon to be installed outside the airport terminal. The chief minister got this assurance from the BIAL, following demands for the statue from Moily and others.

Siddaramaiah also chose the occasion to acknowledge hundreds of farmers who had given away land for the airport.

“We should also remember the farmers who gave 4,300 acres of land at Rs 5 lakh an acre. It is because of them that the airport emerged here, raising the land cost to Rs 5 crore an acre,” he told the huge gathering.

When a section of Kannada activists reminded him about employment opportunities at the airport, he turned to the BIAL officials and urged them to prefer locals. “Otherwise, the purpose will be defeated,” he added.

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News Network
December 2,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 2: Mangaluru International Airport responded to a medical emergency late on Monday night. Air India Express flight IX 522, travelling from Riyadh to Thiruvananthapuram, was diverted to Mangaluru Airport after a passenger in his late 30s experienced a medical emergency on board.

The Airport’s Operations Control Centre received an alert regarding the passenger’s health condition. The airport activated its emergency response protocol, mobilising the airport medical team and coordinating with stakeholders including CISF, immigration, and customs. 

Upon landing, airport medical personnel attended to the passenger, assessed his condition, and arranged to shift him to a local tertiary-care hospital for further treatment. The passenger’s relatives accompanied the passenger, who incidentally received necessary medical care on board, which helped stabilise the situation.

Following the handling of the emergency, the flight departed for Thiruvananthapuram at 2:05 am on Tuesday.

"We appreciate the cooperation of all parties involved, and this incident reaffirms our ongoing commitment to prioritising passenger safety and readiness to respond to unforeseen emergencies with professionalism and care," the Airport spokesperson said. 

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News Network
November 27,2025

Bengaluru, Nov 27: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s camp is reportedly on alert as the Congress leadership tussle in the state intensifies, particularly amid speculation over the potential promotion of Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. Siddaramaiah is said to be in a “wait-and-watch” mode after admitting to “confusion” earlier this week and urging the party to “put a full stop” to it.

Sources say his supporters are ready to act if senior leaders — including party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi — give any indication of backing Shivakumar. If the party insists on a leadership change, Siddaramaiah’s camp has a list of alternatives, underscoring the deep rift between the two leaders. One possible candidate is Home Minister G. Parameshwara, a Siddaramaiah loyalist and influential Dalit leader.

The strategy was reportedly finalized at a meeting led by PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi, another Siddaramaiah supporter, who stressed that Delhi leaders need to resolve the issue. Kharge and the Gandhis are expected to meet soon, after which Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar may be summoned to Delhi.

Shivakumar has largely stayed non-confrontational, publicly endorsing Siddaramaiah and downplaying speculation about his own ambitions. However, he has made pointed comments emphasizing the importance of honoring promises, directed at Siddaramaiah.

The feud traces back to the 2023 state election, when Siddaramaiah was chosen as Chief Minister while Shivakumar, who led the party’s campaign, was made Deputy CM and state party chief — a departure from the Congress’ usual “one post per person” rule.

There were also hints of a prior understanding that Siddaramaiah would step down midway through the term. As the halfway mark passed last week, Shivakumar-aligned lawmakers have ramped up pressure on the party for a leadership change, with Shivakumar himself hinting at stepping down as state party chief to pursue the top job.

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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