Bengaluru airport plans new air traffic control tower amid surge in flight movements

Bengaluru: Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), one of the busiest in the country in terms of passenger numbers, is gearing up for a major infrastructure upgrade with the proposal for a new air traffic control (ATC) tower. The move comes as aircraft movements continue to rise sharply, driven by expanded airport capacity and increased domestic and international connectivity.

When KIA began operations on its 4,000-acre campus, the ATC tower was built to manage a single runway. Since then, the airport has grown significantly, with a second runway and Terminal 2 now fully operational as around 750 flights — domestic and international — operate daily. This expansion has pushed the existing ATC, now 18 years old, close to its functional limits.