To incentivise flyers who travel light, the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru has opened a new entry gate - Gate No. 5 - exclusively for passengers with a printed boarding pass and only hand baggage. This gate will not be accessible to passenger trolleys and wheelchairs.
The airport, in a statement, said that this measure was in continuation of its innovative services and products to ensure a hassle-free and delightful travel experience for its passengers.
“The opening of a new gate exclusively for passengers travelling with hand baggage will further improve the overall operational efficiency of the Airport. Passengers will benefit from a quicker passage through the security checkpoints,” the airport said.
With nearly 55,000 passengers flying out from the city airport on a daily basis, this dedicated gate promises to improve throughput and reduce the wait time at the security checkpoint. Currently, the number of passengers travelling with only hand-baggage constitutes 23% of total departure traffic and the number has gradually increased.
The international airport in Bengaluru was built as a private-public partnership. Private promoters hold 74% (Fairfax 48% and Siemens Projects Ventures 26%) stake in Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL), while the government holds the remaining 26%: Karnataka State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (13%) and Airport Authority of India (13%).’
Kempegowda International Airport is currently the busiest airport in south India and the third largest in the country.
This announcement comes a day after the User Development Fee (UDF) at the airport was revised based on an Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) amendment, which was issued on April 4.
With this, ticket prices for passengers flying out of Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru are set to increase for four months from April 16 onwards.
The UDF for domestic departures will be revised from Rs 139 to Rs 306 while the UDF for international departures will increase from Rs 558 to Rs 1,226. The revised charges will be applicable from April 16 to August 16, 2019, after which the UDF charges will revert to the earlier rates