🛫 Terminal 1 (Domestic LCC + Some Intl.)

Airlines: IndiGo (the largest BLR carrier), Akasa Air, SpiceJet domestic, plus a handful of regional international (Sri Lankan, AirAsia, some Gulf LCCs).

Vibe: Functional, busy, often crowded at the security and immigration peaks. Recently refreshed with new flooring and signage but architecturally unchanged from 2008.

🌿 Terminal 2 — The Garden Terminal

Airlines: All international full-service (Emirates, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, BA, KLM, Qatar, Etihad, ANA, United), plus Air India / Air India Express (now consolidated post-Vistara merger), plus IndiGo’s long-haul rotations.

Vibe: Bamboo columns, hanging gardens, a literal indoor lily pond, 5,000+ live plants. SOM and Grant Associates designed it. Plant your phone away and walk through the central concourse — it does for an airport what the 2008 Beijing T3 did for scale.

DigiYatra (Domestic Only)

Live at both T1 and T2 domestic gates. Indian passport holders with Aadhaar register via the DigiYatra app — entry gate, security and boarding all biometric-only. Saves 15–25 minutes during peak. Foreign visitors with no Aadhaar cannot use it.

FTI-TTP for Foreigners

India’s Fast Track Immigration — Trusted Traveller Programme launched at BLR in the 2024 pilot batch. Pre-enrol online, then use dedicated e-gates on arrival at T2. Currently for OCI cardholders and long-stay visa holders only — not yet for tourist e-Visas.

CISF Security & CT Scanners

CT-scanner rollout at T2 is complete in 2026 — laptops and liquids stay inside the bag on every lane. T1’s rollout is still partial; check the “Laptops Out” signage at the conveyor before unpacking. Belt and shoes off for foreign passport queues. Allow 15–35 min depending on the wave.

⭐ Vayu Vajra Volvo (BMTC AC Bus) — The Quiet Hero

BMTC’s Volvo coach service runs from both T1 and T2 to Kempegowda Bus Station (Majestic), Shivajinagar, Whitefield, Electronic City, and a dozen other hubs. Air-conditioned, comfortable, luggage racks, ~80–110 minutes to Majestic depending on traffic. Often faster than a taxi during 17:00–20:00 peak because the bus uses dedicated lanes on the Hebbal flyover.

🚕 BIAL Prepaid Taxi (Inside Arrivals)

The official BIAL counter is inside the arrivals hall at both T1 and T2. Government-fixed rates, no surge. Pay at the counter, receive a slip with the driver name and vehicle plate, then board outside. Cash, card or UPI.

📱 Uber, Ola, Rapido & the Bangalore Bike Hack

All three apps work at BLR with dedicated pickup zones — follow signage to Forecourt C/D, not the kerbside. Rapido is a Bengaluru-grown bike taxi service: solo passengers with no checked luggage can ride pillion to MG Road for ₹450–650 — meaningfully faster than a car at peak hours because bikes split traffic.

✨ 080 Lounge (T1 Domestic, Level 1, opposite Gate 34)

Bangalore is the spiritual home of South Indian filter coffee, and Indian Coffee House at T2 plus Café Coffee Day at T1 both serve a credible rendition for ₹80–150. Skip the airport Starbucks. The standard order: filter coffee in a stainless steel davarah-tumbler set, sweetened with jaggery, frothed by pouring between two vessels at arm’s length. ₹120 of caffeine you won’t replicate elsewhere in India.

For a Karnataka-specific airport meal: Adyar Anand Bhavan (A2B) at T2 serves bisi bele bath (the spiced Karnataka rice-and-lentil one-pot, ₹200), proper masala dosa (₹180), and Mysore Pak (the gram-flour-and-ghee Karnataka sweet, ₹40 per piece). For curry rice and South Indian thali, Saravana Bhavan at both terminals does the chain version reliably. Skip the airport McDonald’s and KFC.

Safe bets for foreign passengers: Cothas Coffee ground filter blend (T2 specialty kiosk), Mysore Pak in vacuum-sealed packs (Adyar Anand Bhavan retail counter), Karnataka cardamom and pepper at the spice shops, and silk scarves from the Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation outlet at T2. Avoid airport-priced silk saris — the city showrooms in Cunningham Road are 30–50% cheaper.

Bangalore monsoon (June–October) brings intense short bursts that flood the IT corridor and Outer Ring Road. The airport itself rarely closes — it’s on raised land — but Hebbal Flyover and the Whitefield/Electronic City roads will routinely back up for 3+ hours when storm drains overflow. For June–October flights, build a 4-hour traffic buffer from any ORR address. Flights into BLR rarely divert; flights out are mostly affected by upstream weather, not local weather.

Tata’s consolidation of Air India and Vistara completed in late 2024; the Vistara brand was retired in November 2024, with all routes folded into Air India. Air India operates Star Alliance status as of 2026 (joined 2014, retained post-merger), so Vistara’s old Singapore Airlines codeshare and Krisflyer earning continued under the AI brand. Star Alliance Gold members get lounge access via the airline’s arrangement at BLR.

The Namma Metro Blue Line Phase 2B to BLR airport is still under construction as of writing. Phased openings are scheduled rolling through late 2026, with the airport stations targeted for the December 2026 batch. Until then, do not plan around metro access — it’s buses, taxis, or ride apps. Some over-eager travel sites already list it as “coming soon” — they’ve been listing that since 2021. Verify on the BMRCL site before banking on it.

Across Karnataka, the rule is filtered or sealed water only. BLR provides free chilled filtered water dispensers at most washroom blocks airside in both T1 and T2. Bring a refillable bottle — sealed water at convenience kiosks runs ₹100 for 500 ml, four times the city street price. Free dispensers are clearly marked “RO Filtered”.

Jio, Airtel, and Vi kiosks operate inside both T1 and T2 arrivals halls. 5G is default in Bengaluru. A 28-day Tourist Pack with 1.5 GB/day plus unlimited calls runs ₹450–700. Carry a passport copy and a passport-size photo — both are required at activation. The arrivals kiosks are notably cheaper than the city telecom showrooms because of competition.

Bangalore is generally regarded as among the safer Indian cities for solo female travellers, with a tech-driven cosmopolitan culture and 24/7 IT-corridor work patterns making late-night travel less unusual than elsewhere in India. The BIAL prepaid taxis are CCTV-monitored end-to-end and the Vayu Vajra buses run with security guards. Both T1 and T2 have women’s assistance desks near the arrivals exit. For a 03:00 arrival, choose BIAL prepaid taxi over a flagged street ride.

India does not currently operate a tourist GST/VAT refund scheme — purchases inside the country are not refundable on departure. For currency exchange, airport rates are 4–6% worse than Cunningham Road or Brigade Road forex shops. Withdraw INR from a city ATM during the visit and exchange the residual at a Thomas Cook or Centrum branch in town. The currency counters in arrivals are for emergencies only.