Bengaluru, Sep 12, 2023, IANS

New Delhi, Sep 12 (IANS) Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport on Tuesday commenced international flight operations from its swanky new Terminal 2 (T2), built at a cost of Rs 13,000 crore, with the arrival of a Saudia flight from Jeddah earlier in the day.

The Saudia flight SV866, carrying 212 passengers, landed at the Terminal at 10.15 am.

Officials from the Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) were present to witness the landing of the aircraft.

Shortly after the inaugural arrival, IndiGo became the first domestic airline to operate an international flight from the terminal.

The Colombo-bound IndiGo flight 6E 1167 departed from T2 at 12.10 p.m.

To commemorate the occasion, BIAL hosted a lamp-lighting ceremony which was attended by officials from Saudia and IndiGo.

T2, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 11 last year, is poised to play a pivotal role in Bengaluru's international air travel landscape, with the capability to over 30 foreign departures.

It will serve as the gateway for 27 airlines -- 25 international carriers and two Indian airlines -- and handle an additional 2.5 crore air passengers.

The new terminal has been pegged as one of the biggest in the world with a hanging garden for the first time in Asia.

Meanwhile, Terminal 1 (T1) will exclusively cater to domestic flights, accommodating airlines such as Air Akasa, Alliance Air, IndiGo and SpiceJet.

Besides international airlines, domestic operations for AirAsia, Air India, Star Air, and Vistara will also operate from T2, ensuring a seamless experience for passengers travelling to and from Bengaluru.

Bengaluru Airport  -- one of the fastest-growing airports in the world and also the busiest in South India -- commenced operations on May 24, 2008.

In 2019. it handled over 33 million passengers.